Numerical Research on the Effect of the Initial Parameters of CME Flux-rope Model on Simulation Results. III. Different Initial Energy of CMEs

Abstract

In numerical studies, the initial parameters of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) have great influence on the simulation results. In our previous work, it has been proved that when the initial velocity is constant, the initial total mass mainly determines the propagation of the CME. On this basis, we carry out further research from the perspective of CME initial energy. We introduced a graduated cylindrical shell model into a 3D interplanetary total variation diminishing magnetohydrodynamic model to study the effect of different parameters of CMEs on simulation results. In this paper, we simulate several CME cases with different initial parameters and study the simulation results with a different initial energy composition. Actually, in interplanetary space, the kinetic energy of the CME always plays a dominant role. In order to study the effect of the initial thermal energy and magnetic energy on the propagation process of the CME, in this simulation, we adjust the initial parameters to make the thermal energy and magnetic energy reach the same level as the kinetic energy or an even higher level. Our results show that the initial total energy of the CME basically determines its arrival time at Earth, which indicates that the kinetic energy, thermal energy, and magnetic energy have similar effects on the propagation of the CMEs. Moreover, when the total energy keeps constant, the decrease of initial density will lead to the enhancement of CME expansion, which may make the front of the CME reach Earth earlier.