Kitiashvili, Irina N.

Wray, Alan A.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

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Irina Kitiashvili, NASA Ames Research Center
Alan Wray, NASA Ames Research Center
Solar coronal activity is the primary source of space weather 
disturbances. Realistic modeling of the corona is critical for  
understanding the origins of space weather and predicting the 
impacts of solar activity on the near-Earth space environment. 
Resolving the mystery of coronal energy sources is a cornerstone 
for building reliable forecasts of high-energy solar radiation and 
particle fluxes. We have performed 3D radiative magnetohydro-
dynamic simulations that reproduce the structure and dynamics 
of the solar corona. This study helps us understand energy    
accumulation and release in the solar atmosphere and interpret 
observations from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, IRIS, and 
Hinode missions; and helps prepare for the Artemis mission and 
human space exploration beyond low-Earth orbit.
SCIENCE MISSION DIRECTORATE
View of a coronal structure from the top of the 
computational domain, revealed by tracking 
particle motions. Simulation results show a 
self-formed magnetic structure that originates 
from a kilogauss magnetic field patch in the 
photosphere and extends through the 
chromosphere and transition zone into the 
corona. Red show regions where the solar plasma 
is heated above 1 million degrees Kelvin. 
Visualizations are performed by advecting 
particles seeded at 1,400 miles above the solar 
surface. Irina Kitiashvili, Timothy Sandstrom, 
NASA/Ames  
Temperature structure of the solar corona at a height of 6,200 miles above the solar surface. This image shows regions 
of strong plasma heating to several million degrees Kelvin (yellow-white colors), caused by the dissipation of small-scale 
electric currents spontaneously generated in the magnetic structure (center) as well as by shocks propagating across the 
solar atmosphere. Irina Kitiashvili, Timothy Sandstrom, NASA/Ames 
Modeling the Solar Corona 
to Study Sources of Space 
Weather Disturbances
Demo 8  •  Jill • Marco
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20190034006 2020-03-11T16:17:29+00:00Z


Modeling the Solar Corona to Study Sources of Space Weather Disturbances

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