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Context.Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are large-scale structures of magnetized plasma that erupt from the corona into interplanetary space. The launch of Solar Orbiter (SolO) in 2020 enables in situ measurements of CMEs in the innermost heliosphere, at such distances where CMEs can be observed remotely within the inner field of view of heliospheric imagers (HIs). It thus provides the opportunity for investigations into the correspondence of the CME substructures measured in situ and observed remotely. We studied a CME that started on 2022 March 10 and was measured in situ by SolO at ∼0.44 au. Aims.Combining remote observations of CMEs from wide-angle imagers and in situ measurements in the innermost heliosphere allows us to compare CME properties derived through both techniques, validate the estimates, and better understand CME evolution, specifically the size and radial expansion, within 0.5 au. Methods.We compared the evolution of different CME substructures observed in images from the HIs on board the Ahead Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO-A) and the CME signatures measured in situ by SolO. The CME is found to possess a density enhancement at its rear edge in both remote and in situ observations, which validates the use of the signature of density enhancement following the CMEs to accurately identify the CME rear edge. We also estimated and compared the radial size and radial expansion speed of different substructures in both observations. Results.The evolution of the CME front and rear edges in remote images is consistent with the in situ CME measurements. The radial expansion (i.e., radial size and radial expansion speed) of the whole CME structure consisting of the magnetic ejecta and the sheath is consistent with the in situ estimates obtained at the same time from SolO. However, we do not find such consistencies for the magnetic ejecta region inside the CME because it is difficult to identify the magnetic ejecta edges in the remote images.
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This content will become publicly available on February 26, 2026
Magnetohydrodynamic Simulation of a Coronal Mass Ejection Observed during the Near-radial Alignment of Solar Orbiter and Earth
Abstract Interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) are the primary sources of geomagnetic storms at Earth. The negative out-of-ecliptic component (Bz) of magnetic field in the ICME or its associated sheath region is necessary for it to be geoeffective. For this reason, magnetohydrodynamic simulations of CMEs containing data-constrained flux ropes are more suitable for forecasting their geoeffectiveness as compared to hydrodynamic models of the CME. ICMEs observed in situ by radially aligned spacecraft can provide an important setup to validate the physics-based heliospheric modeling of CMEs. In this work, we use the constant-turn flux rope (CTFR) model to study an ICME that was observed in situ by Solar Orbiter (SolO) and at Earth, when they were in a near-radial alignment. This was a stealth CME that erupted on 2020 April 14 and reached Earth on 2020 April 20 with a weak shock and a smoothly rotating magnetic field signature. We found that the CTFR model was able to reproduce the rotating magnetic field signature at both SolO and Earth with very good accuracy. The simulated ICME arrived 5 hr late at SolO and 5 hr ahead at Earth, when compared to the observed ICME. We compare the propagation of the CME front through the inner heliosphere using synthetic J-maps and those observed in the heliospheric imager data and discuss the role of incorrect ambient solar wind background on kinematics of the simulated CME. This study supports the choice of the CTFR model for reproducing the magnetic field of ICMEs.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2028154
- PAR ID:
- 10599042
- Publisher / Repository:
- IOP
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- The Astrophysical Journal
- Volume:
- 981
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 0004-637X
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 53
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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