COCONUT, a Novel Fast-converging MHD Model for Solar Corona Simulations. III. Impact of the Preprocessing of the Magnetic Map on the Modeling of the Solar Cycle Activity and Comparison with Observations

Abstract

We developed a novel global coronal COCONUT (Coolfluid Corona Unstructured) model based on the COOLFluiD code. The steady-state model is predetermined by magnetograms set as boundary conditions, while inside the numerical domain the corona is described by MHD equations. This set of equations is solved with the use of an implicit solver on unstructured grids. Here we present numerically obtained results for two extremes of the solar activity cycle represented by CR 2161 and CR 2219 for solar maximum and minimum, respectively. We discuss the impact of reconstruction level on representative solar corona solutions and thus also the impact of small magnetic structures on the overall structure of the solar wind. Moreover, both cases correspond to particular solar eclipses, namely those in 2015 March and 2019 July, to allow us the direct comparison of simulations with observed coronal features. We use a validation scheme proposed by Wagner et al. (from less to more sophisticated methods, i.e., visual classification, feature matching, streamer direction and width, brute force matching, topology classification). The detailed comparison with observations reveals that our model recreates relevant features such as the position, direction, and shape of the streamers (by comparison with white-light images) and the coronal holes (by comparison with extreme ultraviolet images) for both cases of minimum and maximum solar activity. We conclude that an unprecedented combination of accuracy, computational speed and robustness even in the case of maximum activity is accomplished at this stage, with possible further improvements in a foreseeable perspective.

Keywords

• Space weather
• Solar wind
• Magnetic fields