Magnetohydrodynamic simulation of interplanetary coronal mass ejection and its application to space weather prediction of geomagnetic storms

Chin-Chun Wu (Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research University of Alabama)

In this study, a global, three-dimensional, time-dependent, hybrid model is used to investigate the interplanetary (IP) shock and its driver's (CME) propagation into a non-uniform solar wind medium. We will demonstrate the interaction between an IP shock (and its driver, e.g., magnetic clouds or non-flux rope initiated coronal mass ejections), the heliosphere plasma/current sheet (HPS/HCS), and corotating interaction regions (CIRs). We will also compare the simulation results with observations. IP shocks and their drivers play a crucial role on inducing geomagnetic activity. An empirical formula for estimating the intensity of geomagnetic storms is also derived from statistical data analysis for the events which were associated magnetic clouds.