Space Weather: Forecasting the State of the Solar Wind

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This grant will develop a computational model of the solar wind, capable of forecasting solar wind conditions based on remote observations of the Sun. The PI will develop a comprehensive three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model capable of computing solutions for the solar wind from its genesis at the Sun to beyond Earth orbit. Based on a robust MHD code already used in 3-D calculations of the corona and solar wind, this instrument has produced agreeable calculations with coronal and heliospheric observations. Key improvements to the code will be inclusion of important dynamic and thermodynamic effects, including a transition region, radiation, thermal conduction, coronal heating and Alfven wave acceleration. The project relates to implementing the 1-D formalism into a 3-D MHD model, and parameterizing the important effects via comparison to Helios, WIND, and Ulysses solar wind data. The grant's end result: a unique computational tool capable of predicting the evolving structure of the solar corona and inner heliosphere.