Simulation of driven flare-associated disturbances in the solar wind

Journal Article · Sun Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1973 · Journal of Geophysical Research

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA078i019p03633· OSTI ID:4408888

De Young, D. S.; Hundhausen, A. J.

The dynamics of nonspherical flare-associated disturbances are considered when the outflow of energetic material at 0.1 AU, which gives rise to the disturbance, is maintained for an arbitrary period of time. The propagation of such disturbances into the interplanetary medium is examined under conditions of different total disturbance energies, energy flux densities, and sizes of the disturbance region at 0.1 AU. The development of these disturbances is followed by using numerical solutions of time dependent two-dimensional hydrodynamic flow in spherical coordinates. Decreasing the total disturbance energy by reducing its duration produces an increase in transit time to 1 AU, ranging from ~37 hours for Eioi= 2.9 x 10³² ergs to 58 hours for E_tot= 2.8 x 10³⁰ ergs, all for disturbances contained initially in a cone of a half angle equal to 15 deg . Variation of energy flux density at O.1 AU shows that disturbances of constant total energy propagate to 1 AU more slowly as the flux density at 0.1 AU decreases. Disturbances that differ only in the area that contains the outflow at 0.1 AU reflect this condition in the shock front shapes at larger heliocentric distances, smaller initial areas resulting in shock fronts with a smaller radius of curvature at 1 AU.

• Research Organization: National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Green Bank, WV
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• NSA Number: NSA-29-008542
• OSTI ID: 4408888
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research, Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research Journal Issue: 19 Vol. 78; ISSN 0148-0227
• Publisher: American Geophysical Union
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

*SOLAR FLARES-- SHOCK WAVES
*SOLAR WIND-- DISTURBANCES
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
DISTANCE
FLUX DENSITY
WAVE PROPAGATION