Engineering topics

Van der Holst, B

Publications and source records attributed to Van der Holst, B.

3 records

DOE OSTI2012

A GLOBAL TWO-TEMPERATURE CORONA AND INNER HELIOSPHERE MODEL: A COMPREHENSIVE VALIDATION STUDY

The recent solar minimum with very low activity provides us a unique opportunity for validating solar wind models. During CR2077 (2008 November 20 through December 17), the number of sunspots was near the absolute minimum of solar cycle 23. For this solar rotation, we perform a multi-spacecraft validation study for the recently developed three-dimensional, two-temperature, Alfven-wave-driven global solar wind model (a component within the Space Weather Modeling Framework). By using in situ observations from the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) A and B, Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE), and Venus Express, we compare the observed proton state (density, temperature, and velocity) and magnetic field of the heliosphere with that predicted by the model. Near the Sun, we validate the numerical model with the electron density obtained from the solar rotational tomography of Solar and Heliospheric Observatory/Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph C2 data in the range of 2.4 to 6 solar radii. Electron temperature and density are determined from differential emission measure tomography (DEMT) of STEREO A and B Extreme Ultraviolet Imager data in the range of 1.035 to 1.225 solar radii. The electron density and temperature derived from the Hinode/Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer data are also used to compare with the DEMT as well as the model output. Moreover, for the first time, we compare ionic charge states of carbon, oxygen, silicon, and iron observed in situ with the ACE/Solar Wind Ion Composition Spectrometer with those predicted by our model. The validation results suggest that most of the model outputs for CR2077 can fit the observations very well. Based on this encouraging result, we therefore expect great improvement for the future modeling of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and CME-driven shocks.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2011

CRASH: A BLOCK-ADAPTIVE-MESH CODE FOR RADIATIVE SHOCK HYDRODYNAMICS-IMPLEMENTATION AND VERIFICATION

We describe the Center for Radiative Shock Hydrodynamics (CRASH) code, a block-adaptive-mesh code for multi-material radiation hydrodynamics. The implementation solves the radiation diffusion model with a gray or multi-group method and uses a flux-limited diffusion approximation to recover the free-streaming limit. Electrons and ions are allowed to have different temperatures and we include flux-limited electron heat conduction. The radiation hydrodynamic equations are solved in the Eulerian frame by means of a conservative finite-volume discretization in either one-, two-, or three-dimensional slab geometry or in two-dimensional cylindrical symmetry. An operator-split method is used to solve these equations in three substeps: (1) an explicit step of a shock-capturing hydrodynamic solver; (2) a linear advection of the radiation in frequency-logarithm space; and (3) an implicit solution of the stiff radiation diffusion, heat conduction, and energy exchange. We present a suite of verification test problems to demonstrate the accuracy and performance of the algorithms. The applications are for astrophysics and laboratory astrophysics. The CRASH code is an extension of the Block-Adaptive Tree Solarwind Roe Upwind Scheme (BATS-R-US) code with a new radiation transfer and heat conduction library and equation-of-state and multi-group opacity solvers. Both CRASH and BATS-R-US are part of the publicly available Space Weather Modeling Framework.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2010

A DATA-DRIVEN, TWO-TEMPERATURE SOLAR WIND MODEL WITH ALFVEN WAVES

We have developed a new three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) solar wind model coupled to the Space Weather Modeling Framework (SWMF) that solves for the different electron and proton temperatures. The collisions between the electrons and protons are taken into account as well as the anisotropic thermal heat conduction of the electrons. The solar wind is assumed to be accelerated by the Alfven waves. In this paper, we do not consider the heating of closed magnetic loops and helmet streamers but do address the heating of the protons by the Kolmogorov dissipation of the Alfven waves in open field-line regions. The inner boundary conditions for this solar wind model are obtained from observations and an empirical model. The Wang-Sheeley-Arge model is used to determine the Alfven wave energy density at the inner boundary. The electron density and temperature at the inner boundary are obtained from the differential emission measure tomography applied to the extreme-ultraviolet images of the STEREO A and B spacecraft. This new solar wind model is validated for solar minimum Carrington rotation 2077 (2008 November 20 through December 17). Due to the very low activity during this rotation, this time period is suitable for comparing the simulated corotating interaction regions (CIRs) with in situ ACE/WIND data. Although we do not capture all MHD variables perfectly, we do find that the time of occurrence and the density of CIRs are better predicted than by our previous semi-empirical wind model in the SWMF that was based on a spatially reduced adiabatic index to account for the plasma heating.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗