Modeling interplanetary coronal mass ejections

Heliospheric models of Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) propagation and evolution provide an important insight into the dynamics of CMEs and are a valuable tool for interpreting interplanetary in situ observations. Moreover, they represent a virtual laboratory for exploring conditions and regions of space that are not conveniently or currently accessible by spacecraft. In this report, we summarize our recent advances in modeling the properties and evolution of CMEs in the solar wind. We describe our current state of research with three examples: (1) interpreting the global context of in situ observations; (2) identifying new phenomena in the simulations; and (3) differentiating between CME initiation models. We conclude by discussing what topics will likely be important for models to address in the future. (C) 2005 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.