ESWW7
European Space Weather Week, 15-19 November, 2010 - Brugge, Belgium
A splinter meeting is being organised by Lapenta and Poedts (KU Leuven) on the topic "The Physics of CME Initiation"
Understanding and modelling the initiation and early evolution of a CME is at the core of space weather prediction. Many models and simulations have been presented, based on different configurations and on solving a different set of evolution equations (ideal MHD, resistive MHD, two-temperature models and more). We propose to have a splinter meeting at the ESWW on the discussion of this most important topic. We plan to have a discussion on the ideas for CME initiation and to propose a specific CME initiation challenge. Modelled in concept after the very successful GEM Challenge (Birn et al, JGR, 103, 3715, 2001) for the magnetosphere, we propose specific setups and invite discussion on specific configurations that are sufficiently idealized to be easily reproduced with most simulation codes (fluid or kinetic) but sufficiently realistic to have a direct relevance to CME initiation. We invite the community to select one or two problems (likely one problem in 2.5D and one in 3D) and test on the very same problem different models and different codes. \n As in the GEM challenge the outcome is not going to be that code A is better than code B, no ranking is intended. Instead, the desired outcome, just as in the GEM challenge, will be to understand what physical processes need to be included, what is the minimum model that predicts correctly the evolution of the system. We expect to focus in particular on the physics required to capture correctly the process of reconnection in the post-CME current sheet. As in the GEM challenge, the interested parties can compare notes with each other and all results will be shared on a open server accessible to all (hosted by the Soteria EC FP-7 project, www.soteria-space.eu). At the meeting in November we plan to have a general discussion on CME initiation and on selecting a 2D and a 3D initiation challenge.
