Response of the mesosphere, thermosphere, and ionosphere to extreme solar flare events
Team PI
David Siskind
Who Will Do What:
Tasking is such that Solar Physics is frontloaded for years 1 and 2.
Their output is required for “downstream” thermosphere, ionosphere, mesosphere models maintained by Plasma/Geospace Sci groups.
Final task (starting end of year 3) is radiowave ray tracing using validated model results
What Are Our Expectations:
PI group is in Geospace Sciences.
Consensus formulated by team meetings every 3 months.
Prioritize collaboration within and among FST teams.
What Are Our Objectives:
Evaluate the ionospheric response to an extreme solar flare and its impact on HF/VHF radiowave propagation.
What Are Our Goals:
Publish results pertaining to response of the atmosphere to extreme solar flares.
Deliver:
1) new flare spectral irradiance models;
2) new T-I flare irradiance input to models;
3) new T-I model output validated with data (neutral and ionized); and
4) HF/VHF ray tracing results for both historical (to validate), and extreme events.
What Are Our Milestones:
Year 1: Define solar flare spectral irradiance down to X ray wavelengths; calculate photoelectron prod. Begin modifying thermosphere/ionosphere models to accommodate new flare formulation
Year 2: Define solar flare spectral irradiance at longer wavelengths. Configure the 3 atmospheric models
(TIME-GCM, SAMI, OASIS-D region) to accept new flare model. Complete extrapolation of solar flares from known events to hypothesized extreme conditions. Input into models.
Year 3: Complete T-I runs with flare input; validate and compare w/ data. Intercompare E region between SAMI and TIME-GCM. How does TIME-GCM output affect SAMI results?
Year 4: Perform ray tracing on perturbed electron density profiles; publish final results
COIs
McArthur Jones
Jeffrey Reep
Douglas Drob
Harry Warren
Joseph Huba
A collaboration between three groups at NRL
1. Solar Physics: for flare specification
2. Plasma Physics: for F-region ionospheric modeling
3. Geospace Sciences: for thermospheric modeling, D- & E-region, and radiowave ray tracing.
Anticipate collaboration with VA Tech for photoelectron modeling.
