Numerical simulations of the solar corona and Coronal Mass Ejections

Numerical simulations of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) can provide a deeper insight in the structure and propagation of these impressive solar events. In this work, we present our latest results of numerical simulations of the initial evolution of a fast CME. For this purpose, the equations of ideal MagnetoHydroDynamics (MHD) have been solved on a three-dimensional (3D) mesh by means of an explicit, finite volume solver, where the simulation domain ranges from the lower solar corona up to 30Re. In order to simulate the propagation of a CME throughout the heliosphere, a magnetic flux rope is superposed on top of a stationary background solar (MHD) wind with extra density added to the flux rope. The flux rope is launched by giving it an extra initial velocity in order to get a fast CME forming a 3D shock wave. The magnetic field inside the initial flux rope is described in terms of Bessel functions and possesses a high amount of twist.