Modelling a multi-spacecraft coronal mass ejection encounter with EUHFORIA

Context. Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are a manifestation of the Sun’s eruptive nature. They can have a great impact on Earth, but also on human activity in space and on the ground. Therefore, modelling their evolution as they propagate through interplanetary space is essential. Aims. EUropean Heliospheric FORecasting Information Asset (EUHFORIA) is a data-driven, physics-based model, tracing the evolution of CMEs through background solar wind conditions. It employs a spheromak flux rope, which provides it with the advantage of reconstructing the internal magnetic field configuration of CMEs. This is something that is not included in the simpler cone CME model used so far for space weather forecasting. This work aims at assessing the spheromak CME model included in EUHFORIA. Methods. We employed the spheromak CME model to reconstruct a well observed CME and compare model output to in situ observations. We focus on an eruption from 6 January 2013 that was encountered by two radially aligned spacecraft, Venus Express and STEREO-A. We first analysed the observed properties of the source of this CME eruption and we extracted the CME properties as it lifted off from the Sun. Using this information, we set up EUHFORIA runs to model the event.

Results. The model predicts arrival times from half to a full day ahead of the in situ observed ones, but within errors established from similar studies. In the modelling domain, the CME appears to be propagating primarily southward, which is in accordance with white-light images of the CME eruption close to the Sun.

Conclusions. In order to get the observed magnetic field topology, we aimed at selecting a spheromak rotation angle for which the axis of symmetry of the spheromak is perpendicular to the direction of the polarity inversion line (PIL). The modelled magnetic field profiles, their amplitude, arrival times, and sheath region length are all affected by the choice of radius of the modelled spheromak.

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Author Asvestari, E.
Pomoell, J.
Kilpua, E.
Good, S.
Chatzistergos, T.
Temmer, M.
Palmerio, Erika
Poedts, S.
Magdalenic, J.
Publisher UCAR/NCAR - Library
Publication Date 2021-08-04T00:00:00
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) Not Assigned
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Topic Category geoscientificInformation
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Metadata Date 2023-08-18T18:29:59.576723
Metadata Record Identifier edu.ucar.opensky::articles:24585
Metadata Language eng; USA
Suggested Citation Asvestari, E., Pomoell, J., Kilpua, E., Good, S., Chatzistergos, T., Temmer, M., Palmerio, Erika, Poedts, S., Magdalenic, J.. (2021). Modelling a multi-spacecraft coronal mass ejection encounter with EUHFORIA. UCAR/NCAR - Library. http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7ws8xp9. Accessed 21 July 2025.

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