June 14, 2013, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

June 14, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Can solar wind viscous drag account for CME deceleration?

Prasad, Subramanian

The forces acting on solar Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) in the interplanetary medium have been evaluated so far in terms of an empirical drag coefficient C_D ~ 1 that quantifies the role of the aerodynamic drag experienced by a typical CME due teo its interaction with the ambient solar wind. We use a microphysical prescription for viscosity in the turbulent solar wind to obtain an analytical model for the drag coefficient C_D. This is the first physical characterization of the aerodynamic drag experienced by CMEs. We use this physically motivated prescription for C_D} in a simple, 1D model for CME propagation to obtain velocity profiles and travel times that agree well with observations of deceleration experienced by fast CMEs.