On the 3D Magnetic Structure of Coronal Mass Ejections through the Solar Corona
- 1Predictive Science Inc.
Abstract
The magnetic fields that make up the internal structure of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are thought to be organized in a flux rope configuration, consisting of twisted magnetic fields that wind about a central axis. Remote-sensing observations of CMEs show a wide range of morphologies, dynamics, and evolution, including rotation, nonuniform expansion, deflection, and interaction with the ambient solar wind. In situ measurements, however, typically consist of a single 1D spacecraft trajectory through a large 3D structure (or a few at best), restricting our ability to determine how CME magnetic structure varies in space and time. In this work, we analyze the magnetic configuration of two idealized CMEs during their early evolution in the range of 1–30 R ⊙ using the Magnetohydrodynamic Algorithm Outside a Sphere code. The initial flux ropes differ only in their orientation with respect to the global dipole and erupt from a bipolar active region below the streamer belt in a simplified coronal environment. We deploy a fleet of synthetic spacecraft throughout the CMEs’ paths at different combinations of latitudes, longitudes, and heliocentric distances. We identify and examine flux rope signatures in the synthetic in situ profiles to characterize radial variations as well as latitudinal/longitudinal ones. We find that, even in a simplified CME erupting under solar minimum–like conditions, the sampling location significantly affects the global structure that would be deduced from common flux rope reconstruction and analysis techniques used for in situ measurements. Additionally, we consider possible in situ signatures that may serve as indicators of the source region’s topology.
Versions
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BibTeX
@article{palmerio2026magnetic,
title = {{On the 3D Magnetic Structure of Coronal Mass Ejections through the Solar Corona}},
author = {Erika Palmerio and Michal Ben-Nun and Tibor Török and Cooper Downs and Viacheslav S. Titov},
journal = {The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3847/1538-4365/aea6be},
url = {https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4365/aea6be},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - On the 3D Magnetic Structure of Coronal Mass Ejections through the Solar Corona
AU - Erika Palmerio
AU - Michal Ben-Nun
AU - Tibor Török
AU - Cooper Downs
AU - Viacheslav S. Titov
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/06
JO - The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
DO - 10.3847/1538-4365/aea6be
UR - https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4365/aea6be
AB - The magnetic fields that make up the internal structure of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are thought to be organized in a flux rope configuration, consisting of twisted magnetic fields that wind about a central axis. Remote-sensing observations of CMEs show a wide range of morphologies, dynamics, and evolution, including rotation, nonuniform expansion, deflection, and interaction with the ambient solar wind. In situ measurements, however, typically consist of a single 1D spacecraft trajectory through a large 3D structure (or a few at best), restricting our ability to determine how CME magnetic structure varies in space and time. In this work, we analyze the magnetic configuration of two idealized CMEs during their early evolution in the range of 1–30 R ⊙ using the Magnetohydrodynamic Algorithm Outside a Sphere code. The initial flux ropes differ only in their orientation with respect to the global dipole and erupt from a bipolar active region below the streamer belt in a simplified coronal environment. We deploy a fleet of synthetic spacecraft throughout the CMEs’ paths at different combinations of latitudes, longitudes, and heliocentric distances. We identify and examine flux rope signatures in the synthetic in situ profiles to characterize radial variations as well as latitudinal/longitudinal ones. We find that, even in a simplified CME erupting under solar minimum–like conditions, the sampling location significantly affects the global structure that would be deduced from common flux rope reconstruction and analysis techniques used for in situ measurements. Additionally, we consider possible in situ signatures that may serve as indicators of the source region’s topology.
SN - 0067-0049
SN - 1538-4365
ER -