arXiv subjects

Wenwen Wei

Publications and source records attributed to Wenwen Wei.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

MHD modeling of magnetic flux evolution around solar maximum by the coronal model COCONUT

In this paper, we simulate the magnetic flux evolution at different heliocentric distances during two solar-maximum Carrington rotations (CRs) using the time-evolving coronal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model COCONUT to investigate the ``open flux problem". The simulated open magnetic flux (OMF) near the solar surface is comparable to that derived from \textit{in situ} observations by PSP and WIND satellites, and is about 5 times larger than that derived from SDO coronal hole (CH) observations, and the variation in the simulated radial solar wind speed is consistent with the evolution of the OMF evaluated around the corresponding solar disk center. We find that the OMF is reduced by up to $45\%$ from 1.01~$R_s$ to 0.1~AU and increases with a higher-resolution mesh. The OMF decreases mainly within 3~$R_s$, where the closed magnetic flux drops more rapidly, from about $60\%$ of the total magnetic flux at 1.01~$R_s$ to about $4\%$ at 3~$R_s$. Moderate adjustment of the heating source term can effectively regulate the simulated OMF. Preprocessing the photospheric magnetograms with a potential field solver that removes many high-order spherical harmonic components reduces the OMF in the low corona, while having little impact beyond 3~$R_s$. Additionally, the ratio of the maximum to the minimum OMF can reach 1.4 during a single solar maximum CR. These findings highlight the necessity of considering higher grid resolution, more realistic heating mechanisms, and the time-evolving regime of coronal MHD modeling when further addressing the ``open flux problem".

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2026

Solar Energetic Particle Reflection by Precursor ICMEs: Multi-spacecraft Observations of Bi-Directional Electron Beams at 1 AU

We present case studies of two impulsive solar energetic electron (SEE) events during which particles at energies from 1-600 keV were detected by THEMIS-ARTEMIS orbiting the Moon, Wind at Earth's first Lagrange point, and (for one event) STEREO-A located at 1 AU, off the Sun-Earth line. The SEEs were initially highly anisotropic, traveling outward along the magnetic field with distinct energy-time dispersion. For one event, the spectra contained inverse velocity dispersion (IVD) signatures, whereby electrons at intermediate energies arrived to the spacecraft before those at higher energies. Similar features were recently discovered within 1 AU for energetic protons; this represents the first IVD detection for energetic electrons at Earth's orbital distance. During both events, a second beam of counter-streaming electrons was detected after a short time. Based on the time-delay in the detections at various energies, the path traveled by these counter-streaming electrons was on the order of 1-2 AU. We show that an interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) passed the spacecraft a few days prior to the onset of each event and was located beyond 1 AU when the SEEs were detected, suggesting that the electrons were part of the same population, but reflected off the shock front of these precursor ICMEs. In the context of solar system exploration, this represents an unidentified hazard for astronaut safety beyond low-Earth orbit: although the initial phase of impulsive SEE events typically stream anti-Sunward, ICMEs located beyond Earth provide a mechanism for hazardous particles to travel Sunward during extreme events.

physics.space-ph↗

arXiv2025

SIP-IFVM: An observation-based magnetohydrodynamic model of coronal mass ejection

Currently, achieving a balance between computational efficiency, accuracy, and numerical stability in CME simulations, particularly in the sub-Alfv{'e}nic coronal region, remains a significant challenge. This paper aims to address the challenge by integrating observational data and developing advanced numerical algorithms, focusing on reproducing large-scale CME evolutions that are consistent with observations in the coronal region. Based on the recently developed fully implicit thermodynamic MHD coronal model (Wang et al. 2025a), we further use an observation-based RBSL flux rope to trigger a CME event during CR 2111. Additionally, we improve the temporal accuracy using a 2nd-order accurate ESDIRK2 method, with the intermediate stage solutions computed by the 2nd-order accurate BDF2 pseudo-time marching method. To enhance the numerical stability of ESDIRK2, we apply approximate linearisation in the implicitly solved intermediate stages. Furthermore, we adjust the time-evolving magnetic field B1 to zero at the end of each physical time step to further validate the extended magnetic field decomposition approach proposed by (Wang et al. 2025a). It is noticed that the model successfully reproduces the CME evolution consistent with white-light coronagraph observations, enables faster-than-real-time CME propagation simulations from solar surface to 0.1 AU using only a few dozen CPU cores on approximately 1 million grid cells, and remains numerically stable in CME simulations involving low-\b{eta} regions. The simulation results show that this novel MHD coronal model, combined with an observation-based magnetic flux rope, is sufficiently numerically stable and computationally efficient to reproduce real CME events propagating through the sub-Alfv{é}nic coronal region. Thus, the observation-based CME model is well suited for practical applications in daily space weather forecasting.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2025

The Temperature Anisotropy and Helium Abundance Features of Alfvénic Slow Solar Wind Observed by Parker Solar Probe, Helios, and Wind Missions

Slow solar wind is typically characterized as having low Alfvénicity, but the occasional occurrence of highly Alfvénic slow solar wind (HASSW) raises questions about its source regions and evolution. In this work, we conduct a statistical analysis of temperature anisotropy and helium abundance in HASSW using data from PSP within 0.25 AU, Helios between 0.3 AU and 1 AU, and Wind near 1 AU. Our findings reveal that HASSW is prevalent close to the Sun, with PSP observations displaying a distinct ``U-shaped" Alfvénicity distribution with respect to increasing solar wind speed, unlike the monotonic increase trend seen in Helios and Wind data. This highlights a previously unreported population of unusually low speed HASSW, which is found in both sub-Alfvénic and super-Alfvénic regimes. The observed decreasing overlap in temperature anisotropy between HASSW and fast solar wind (FSW) with increasing heliocentric distance suggests different underlying heating processes. Additionally, HASSW exhibits two distinct helium abundance populations, particularly evident in PSP data, with generally higher helium abundance compared to less Alfvénic slow solar wind. Moreover, the decreasing overlap in temperature anisotropy versus helium abundance distributions between HASSW and FSW with decreasing radial distance implies that not all HASSW originates from the same source region as FSW.

physics.space-ph↗

arXiv2025

SIP-IFVM: A time-evolving coronal model with an extended magnetic field decomposition strategy

Time-evolving magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) coronal modeling, driven by a series of time-dependent photospheric magnetograms, represents a new generation of coronal simulations. This approach offers greater realism compared to traditional coronal models constrained by a static magnetogram. However, its practical application is seriously limited by low computational efficiency and poor numerical stability. Therefore, we propose an extended magnetic field decomposition strategy and implement it in the implicit MHD model to develop a coronal model that is both efficient and numerically stable enough for simulating the long-term evolutions of the global corona. The traditional decomposition strategies split the magnetic field into a time-invariant potential field and a time-dependent component $\mathbf{B}_1$. It works well for quasi-steady-state coronal simulations where $\left|\mathbf{B}_1\right|$ is typically small. However, as the inner-boundary magnetic field evolves, $\left|\mathbf{B}_1\right|$ can grow significantly larger and its discretization errors often lead to nonphysical negative thermal pressure, ultimately causing the code to crash. In this paper, we mitigate such undesired situations by introducing a temporally piecewise-constant variable to accommodate part of the non-potential field and remain $\left|\mathbf{B}_1\right|$ consistently small throughout the simulations. We incorporate this novel magnetic field decomposition strategy into our implicit MHD coronal model and apply it to simulate the evolution of coronal structures within 0.1 AU over two solar-maximum Carrington rotations. The results show that this coronal model effectively captures observations and performs more than 80 times faster than real time using only 192 CPU cores, making it well-suited for practical applications in simulating the time-evolving corona.

astro-ph.SR↗