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GAMERA-Helio (1)

Grid-Agnostic MHD for Extended Research Applications - Helio

Model Description

GAMERA-Helio model provides a simulation of the global three-dimensional structure of the solar wind in the inner heliosphere. The grid starts by default at 21.5 solar radii from the Sun but this distance can be arbitrary as long as it is above the Afvenic surface in the solar wind. By default, the grid extends out to 220 solar radii but this distance can also be changed.

GAMERA-Helio solves ideal MHD equations with the addition of the gravity force in an inertial coordinate system. GAMERA utilizes high-order spatial reconstruction and constrained transport on finite volume grids to maintain divergence-free magnetic fields.

GAMERA-Helio MHD solution is driven by the output from the empirical coronal Wang-Sheeley-Arge (WSA) model. The WSA model provides maps of radial magnetic field and radial velocity components of the solar wind at 21.5 RS. The solar wind density is calculated using the radial velocity distribution from the empirical fit to the Helios spacecraft data. The solar wind temperature is defined from the full pressure balance in the angular directions.

By default, the model uses a uniform spherical grid. The coordinate system is such that +Z is aligned with the solar rotation axis, +X is away from Earth at the simulation time t=0 (Earth faces the center of the WSA map at t=0), and the Y-axis completes the right-handed system.

Model Figure(s) :

Model Inputs Description

The inner boundary conditions file in HDF5 format (innerbc.h5) produced by a pre-processing Python script that uses WSA output at 21.5 RS containing Br and Vr in the fits format:
MHD variables - radial magnetic field, density, temperature, radial velocity
Modified Julian Date at the center of the WSA map

Grid file in HDF5 format (heliogrid.h5):
The X,Y,Z locations of cell corners in spherical coordinate system

The file with input parameters in XML format containing:
End time for simulation, Spin-up time
GAMERA algorithmic parameters and flags

Model Outputs Description

Gamera-helio outputs HDF5 files containing the 3D grid of cell corners and time steps with 3D cell-centered data on density, pressure, velocity vector, magnetic field vector, and current vector.

Model Caveats


	
	
	
	

Change Log


	
	 
	

Model Acknowledgement/Publication Policy (if any)


	
	
	

Model Domains:

Heliosphere.Inner_Heliosphere

Space Weather Impacts:

Solar energetic particles - SEPs (human exploration, aviation safety, aerospace assets functionality)

Phenomena :

Ambient_Solar_Wind
High_Speed_Stream
Stream_Interaction_Regions
Interplanetary_Shocks
Heliospheric_Current_Sheet

Simulation Type(s):

Physics-based
Physics-based.MHD

Temporal Dependence Possible? (whether the code results depend on physical time?)

true

Model is available at?

CCMC

Source code of the model is publicly available?

false

CCMC Model Status (e.g. onboarding, use in production, retired, only hosting output, only source is available):

onboarding

Code Language:

Fortran 2003/2008 with elements of Fortran 2018, Python for preprocessing and postprocessing

Regions (this is automatically mapped based on model domain):

Heliosphere.Inner

Contacts :

Elena.Provornikova, ModelDeveloper
Viacheslav.Merkin, ModelDeveloper
Peter.MacNeice, ModelHostContact

Acknowledgement/Institution :

JHU/APL

Relevant Links :

GAMERA Model Page: https://cgs.jhuapl.edu/Models/gamera.php

Publications :

  • GAMERA - Zhang, B., Sorathia, K. A., Lyon, J. G., Merkin, V. G., Garretson, J. S., & Wiltberger, M. (2019). GAMERA: A Three-dimensional Finite-volume MHD Solver for Non-orthogonal Curvilinear Geometries. The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 244(1), 20.
  • Mostafavi, P., Merkin, V. G., Provornikova, E., Sorathia, K., Arge, C. N., & Garretson, J. (2022). High-resolution Simulations of the Inner Heliosphere in Search of the Kelvin–Helmholtz Waves. The Astrophysical Journal, 925(2), 181.
  • Merkin, V. G., J. G. Lyon, S. L. McGregor, and D. M. Pahud (2011), Disruption of a heliospheric current sheet fold, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38(L14107)
  • Merkin, V. G., R. Lionello, J. G. Lyon, J. Linker, T. To ̈ro ̈k, and C. Downs (2016a), Coupling of Coronal and Heliospheric Magnetohydrodynamic Models: Solution Comparisons and Verification, ApJ, 831(1), 23
  • Merkin, V. G., J. G. Lyon, D. Lario, C. N. Arge, and C. J. Henney (2016b), Time-dependent magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the inner heliosphere, Journal of Geophysical Research (Space Physics), 121(4), 2866–2890
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