The Automatic Detection of Coronal Mass Ejections Using the Solar Mass Ejection Imager
Abstract
The most severe space weather is known to arise from large eruptions of plasma and magnetic field from the Sun. These eruptions, called Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), are an important mechanism in the evolution of the solar cycle. Because of their known association with geomagnetic storms and their resulting costly damage, there has been a large amount of resources dedicated in recent years to understanding these phenomena. In the present document, we report on recent efforts toward extracting three-dimensional characteristics of CMEs using heliospheric imagers. We have developed two techniques for this purpose, called the Tappin-Howard (TH) Model and the Automatic Interplanetary CME Detection (AICMED) models. When combined, these have shown the capacity for high-speed, highly accurate CME detection and reconstruction. We have found that these models produce an arrival time prediction almost two orders of magnitude better than currently-existing models, and so the potential for space weather forecasting is highly favorable.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 30, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA510431
Entities
People
- Maxwell M. Hampson
- S. J. Tappin
- Timothy A. Howard
Organizations
- Southwest Research Institute