New Horizons Flyby Modeling Challenge
Preliminary three-fluid 3D MHD results from Arcadi Usmanov
The plot below shows preliminary results from a three-fluid 3D simulation using the global solar corona and solar wind model described in Usmanov et al. (Astrophys. J., 788, 43, 2014). The output from the model is a steady-state solution in the rotating frame in the region from the coronal base to the outer heliosphere. The synoptic solar magnetogram for Carrington Rotation 2161 (February 28 - March 27, 2015) from Wilcox Solar Observatory was used for assigning boundary conditions at the coronal base. The plot shows computed variations of flow, magnetic field and turbulence parameters along the New Horizons spacecraft trajectory from July 2 to July 28, 2015 in the heliographic coordinates. The trajectory data are from OMNIWeb.
The parameters include: (a) the radial velocity ur, (b) the thermal proton density NS, (c) the azimuthal magnetic field Bφ, (d) the radial Br and meridional Bθ magnetic field components, (e) the thermal proton TS and electron TE temperatures, (f) the pickup proton density NI and pickup proton temperature TI, (g) (twice) the turbulence energy per unit mass Z2 and the correlation length of turbulence λ, and (h) the meridional uθ and azimuthal uφ velocity components. The dotted red vertical line indicates the flyby closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015. The computed sector boundary appears to be close to the flyby closest approach date.
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