• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.117-124
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• 2023

A Forbush decrease (FD) is a depression of cosmic ray (CR) intensity observed by ground-based neutron monitors (NMs). The CR intensity is thought to be modulated by the heliospheric magnetic structures including the interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) surrounding the Earth. The different magnitude of the decreasing in intensity at each NM was explained only by the geomagnetic cutoff rigidity of the NM station. However, sometimes NMs of almost the same cutoff rigidity in northern and southern hemispheres observe the asymmetric intensity depression magnitudes of FD events. Thus, in this study we intend to see the effects on CR intensity modulation of FD event recorded at different NMs due to different ICME propagation directions as an additional parameter in the model explaining the CR modulation. Fortunately, since 2006 the coronagraphs of twin spacecraft of the STEREO mission allow us to infer the propagation direction of ICME associated with the FD event in 3-dimension with respect to the Earth. We suggest the hypothesis that the asymmetric CR modulations of FD events are determined by the propagation directions of the associated ICMEs.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.175-184
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• 2009

A method of estimating the lower bound of coronal magnetic field strength in the neighborhood of an ejecting plasmoid is presented. Based on the assumption that the plasma ejecta is within a magnetic island, an analytical expression for the force acting on the ejecta is derived. The method is applied to a limb coronal mass ejection event, and a lower bound of the magnetic field strength just below the CME core is estimated. The method is expected to provide useful information on the strength of reconnecting magnetic field if applied to X-ray plasma ejecta.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.61-66
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• 2003

We have examined the relationship between the speeds of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and the GOES X-ray peak fluxes of associated flares. Noting that previous studies were possibly affected by projection effects and random association effects, we have considered two sets of carefully selected CME-flare events: four homologous events and four well-observed limb events. In the respective samples, good correlations are found between the CME speeds and the GOES X-ray peak fluxes of the associated flares. A similarly good correlation is found for all eight events of both samples when the CME speeds of the homologous events are corrected for projection effect. Our results suggest that a close relationship possibly exists between CME kinematics and flaring processes.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.65.2-65.2
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• 2015

We developed a three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code to reproduce the structure of a solar wind, the properties of a coronal mass ejection (CME) and the interaction between them. This MHD code is based on the finite volume method incorporating total variation diminishing (TVD) scheme with an unstructured grid system. In particular, this grid system can avoid the singularity at the north and south poles and relax tight CFL conditions around the poles, both of which would arise in a spherical coordinate system (Tanaka 1994). In this model, we first apply an MHD tomographic method (Hayashi et al. 2003) to interplanetary scintillation (IPS) observational data and derive a solar wind from the physical values obtained at 50 solar radii away from the Sun. By comparing the properties of this solar wind to observational data obtained near the Earth orbit, we confirmed that our model captures the velocity, temperature and density profiles of a solar wind near the Earth orbit. We then insert a spheromak-type CME (Kataoka et al. 2009) into the solar wind to reproduce an actual CME event. This has been done by introducing a time-dependent boundary condition to the inner boundary of our simulation domain. On the basis of a comparison between a simulated CME and observations near the Earth, we discuss the physics involved in an ICME interacting with a solar wind.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.151-157
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• 2002

From the data of solar wind observation by ACE spacecraft orbiting the Earth-Sun Lagrangian point, we selected 48 forward interplanetary shocks(IPSs) occurred in 2000, maximum solar activity period. Examining the profiles of solar wind parameters, the IPSs are classified by their shock drivers. The significant shock drivers are the interplanetary coronal mass ejection(ICME) and the high speed stream(HSS). The IPSs driven by the ICMEs are classified into shocks driven by magnetic clouds and by ejectas based on the existence of magnetic flux rope structure and magnetic field strength. Some IPSs could be formed as the blast wave by the smaller energy and shorter duration of shock drivers such as type II radio burst. Out of selected 48 forward IPSs, $56.2\%$ of the IPSs are driven by ICME, $16.7\%$ by HSS, and $16.7\%$ of the shocks are classified into blast-wave type shocks. However, the shock drivers of remaining $10\%$ of the IPSs are unidentified. The classification of the IPSs by their driver is a first step toward investigating the critical magnitudes of the IPS drivers commencing the magnetic storms in each class.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2020

The recent study of Chae et al. (2017) found a one-to-one correspondence between plasma blobs outflowing along a ray formed after a coronal mass ejection (CME) and small X-ray flares. In the present work, we have examined the spatial configuration and the eruption process of the flares that are associated with the blobs by analyzing EUV images and magnetograms taken by the SDO/AIA and HMI. We found that the main flare and the successive small flares took place in a quadrupolar magnetic configuration characterized by predominant magnetic fields of positive polarity, two minor magnetic fragments of negative polarity, and a curved polarity inversion line between them, which suggests that the formation process of the blobs may be similar to that of the parent CME. We also found that the successive flares resulted in a gradual change of the quadrupolar magnetic configuration, and the relevant migration of flaring kernels. The three-dimensional geometry and the property of the current sheet, that is often supposed to be embedded in an observed post-CME ray, seem to keep changing because of mutual feedback between the successive flares and the temporal change of the magnetic field configuration. Our results suggest that the observed post-CME rays may not reflect the characteristics of the current sheet responsible for the impulsive phase of the flare.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.83-89
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• 1999

The Earth is exposed to constant outflow of the solar wind from the outer layers of the Sun, and violent transient events taking place from active regions increase the energy flux of both radiation and particles leaving the Sun. Thus the space surrounding the Earth is a highly dynamic environment that responds sensitively to changes in radiation, particles and magnetic field arriving from the Sun. Nowadays, it becomes increasingly important to understand how the physical system of Earth-space works and how the space around the Earth connects to interplanetary space. In the present paper we describe how explosive solar events, such as CME(Coronal Mass Ejection) and flares affect the Earth-space environment and how the space weather reacts to them. Practical consequences are presented to demonstrate why a broader view of Earth's environment is greatly needed to cope with modern day's inhabitation problem in a rapidly developing space age.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.139-145
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• 2006

We have made a comprehensive statistical study on the coronal mass ejections(CMEs) associated with helmet streamers. A total number of 3810 CMEs observed by SOHO/LASCO coronagraph from 1996 to 2000 have been visually inspected. By comparing their LASCO images and running difference images, we picked out streamer-associated CMEs, which are classified into two sub-groups: Class-A events whose morphological shape seen in the LASCO running difference image is quite similar to that of the pre-existing streamer, and Class-B events whose ejections occurred in a part of the streamer. The former type of CME may be caused by the destabilization of the helmet streamer and the latter type of CME may be related to the eruption of a filament underlying the helmet streamer or narrow CMEs such as streamer puffs. We have examined the distributions of CME speed and acceleration for both classes as well as the correlation between their speed and acceleration. The major results from these investigations are as follows. First, about a quarter of all CMEs are streamer-associated CMEs. Second, their mean speed is 413 km $s^{-1}$ for Class-A events and 371 km $s^{-1}$ for Class-B events. And the fraction of the streamer-associated CMEs decreases with speed. Third, the speed-acceleration diagrams show that there are no correlations between two quantities for both classes and the accelerations are nearly symmetric with respect to zero acceleration line. Fourth, their mean angular width are about $60^{\circ}$, which is similar to that of normal CMEs. Fifth, the fraction of streamer-associated CMEs during the solar minimum is a little larger than that during the solar maximum. Our results show that the kinematic characteristics of streamer-associated CMEs, especially Class-A events, are quite similar to those of quiescent filament-associated CMEs.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.70.2-70.2
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• 2014

We developed a three-dimensional (3D) magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation code to reproduce the structure of a solar wind and the propagation of a coronal mass ejection (CME) through it. This code is constructed by a finite volume method based on a total variation diminishing (TVD) scheme using an unstructured grid system (Tanaka 1994). The grid system can avoid the singularity arising in the spherical coordinate system. In this study, we made an improvement of the code focused on the propagation of a CME through a solar wind, which extends a previous work done by Nakamizo et al. (2009). We first reconstructed a solar wind in a steady state from physical values obtained at 50 solar radii away from the Sun via an MHD tomography applied to interplanetary scintillation (IPS) data (Hayashi et al. 2003). We selected CR2057 and inserted a spheromak-type CME (Kataoka et al. 2009) into a reconstructed solar wind. As a result, we found that our simulation well captures the velocity, temperature and density profiles of an observed solar wind. Furthermore, we successfully reproduce the general characteristics of an interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) obtained by the Helios 1/2 spacecraft (R. J. FORSYTH et al. 2006).

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.61-70
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• 2021

We investigate 20 post-coronal mass ejection (CME) blobs formed in the post-CME current sheet (CS) that were observed by K-Cor on 2017 September 10. By visual inspection of the trajectories and projected speed variations of each blob, we find that all blobs except one show irregular "zigzag" trajectories resembling transverse oscillatory motions along the CS, and have at least one oscillatory pattern in their instantaneous radial speeds. Their oscillation periods are ranging from 30 to 91 s and their speed amplitudes from 128 to 902 km s-1. Among 19 blobs, 10 blobs have experienced at least two cycles of radial speed oscillations with different speed amplitudes and periods, while 9 blobs undergo one oscillation cycle. To examine whether or not the apparent speed oscillations can be explained by vortex shedding, we estimate the quantitative parameter of vortex shedding, the Strouhal number, by using the observed lateral widths, linear speeds, and oscillation periods of the blobs. We then compare our estimates with theoretical and experimental results from MHD simulations and fluid dynamic experiments. We find that the observed Strouhal numbers range from 0.2 to 2.1, consistent with those (0.15-3.0) from fluid dynamic experiments of bluff spheres, while they are higher than those (0.15-0.25) from MHD simulations of cylindrical shapes. We thus find that blobs formed in a post-CME CS undergo kinematic oscillations caused by fluid dynamic vortex shedding. The vortex shedding is driven by the interaction of the outward-moving blob having a bluff spherical shape with the background plasma in the post-CME CS.