Data-constrained Magnetohydrodynamic Simulation of the Global Solar Corona Including Solar Wind Effects within 2.5 R ⊙

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Authors: Yihua Li, Guoyin Chen, Jinhan Guo, Yang Guo, Hao Wu, Yuhao Huang, Xin Cheng, M. D. Ding, Rony Keppens
Cited by: 1
References: 92

Abstract

Abstract Total solar eclipses (TSEs) provide a unique opportunity to observe the large-scale solar corona. The solar wind plays an important role in forming the large-scale coronal structure, and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations are used to reproduce it for further studying coronal mass ejections (CMEs). We conduct a data-constrained MHD simulation of the global solar corona including solar wind effects of the 2024 April 8 TSE with observed magnetograms using the message-passing interface adaptive mesh refinement versatile advection code (MPI-AMRVAC) within 2.5 R ⊙ . This TSE happened within the solar maximum, hence the global corona was highly structured. Our MHD simulation includes the energy equation with a reduced polytropic index γ = 1.05. We compare the global magnetic field for multiple magnetograms and use synchronic frames from the Solar Dynamics Observatory/Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager to initialize the magnetic field configuration from a magnetofrictionally equilibrium solution, called the outflow field. We detail the initial and boundary conditions employed to time-advance the full set of ideal MHD equations such that the global corona is relaxed to a steady state. The magnetic field, the velocity field, and distributions of the density and thermal pressure are successfully reproduced. We demonstrate direct comparisons with TSE images in white light and Fe XIV emission augmented with quasi-separatrix layers, the integrated current density, and the synthetic white-light radiation, and find a good agreement between simulations and observations. This provides a fundamental background for future simulations to study the triggering and acceleration mechanisms of CMEs under solar wind effects.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics Stellar planetary and galactic studies

Publication details

Journal / source
The Astrophysical Journal
Publisher
American Astronomical Society
Volume
997
Issue
2
Pages
228–228
Publication date
27 January 2026
Language
EN