Dynamical Systems Seminar: Anthony Rasca

Modeling Solar Wind Mass-Loading Due to Dust in the Solar Corona

Anthony Rasca

Applied Mathematics, University of Colorado Boulder

Date and time: 

Thursday, October 24, 2013 - 2:00pm

Location: 

ECCR 257

Abstract: 

Collisionless mass-loading was first discussed to describe interactions between the solar wind and cometary atmospheres. Recent observations have led to an increased interest in coronal mass-loading due to sungrazing comets and collisional debris by sunward-migrating interplanetary dust particles. Using 3D MHD simulations with a modified Solar Corona (SC) component of the Space Weather Modeling Framework (SWMF) we show the impact on the solar wind from abrupt mass-loading in the coronal region. We also use the model as an application for a mass-loaded coronal wind due to a cometary source, which helps predict the impacts on solar wind acceleration and composition from past and upcoming sungrazing comets.