SPP Theory/Modeling Team:
Database of Coronal Models and Extrapolations

At the Fall 2010 AGU Meeting, there was an inaugural meeting of the Solar Probe Plus Theory and Modeling Team. The goal of this team was to assemble a wide variety of the community's past and present predictions for the plasma conditions that SPP is expected to encounter on its journey in to 10 solar radii. A talk about the team's goals was also given at the March 2011 SWEAP science meeting.

Although this team has since morphed into other mission-oriented formats, we believe that maintaining this 2011-era database of measurements, empirical extrapolations (from known conditions at 60+ solar radii), and theoretical model outputs remains useful. Please let me know if you know of other resources that could be added.

Source Brief Description Data Availability
CORHEL (Linker, Mikic, Lionello, Riley, Arge, Odstrcil) 3D MHD coronal model (1-30 Rsun), uses photospheric magnetograms as input. Also extended to larger distances with an accompanying heliosphere model. Runs available on request at CCMC with a number of different modeling choices.
Cranmer et al. (2007) Theoretical wave/turbulence model (1-1000 Rsun), 1-fluid, 1D flux tubes. Tabulated plasma conditions for selected flux tubes are available here (see readme.txt file).
IPS measurements: Grall et al. (1996); Breen et al. (1999, 2000, 2002) Breen et al. (2002) Empirical measurements of solar wind acceleration (7-120 Rsun). Trends shown in plots in papers.
Leblanc et al. (1998) Empirical constraints on electron density (1-200 Rsun) based on radio Type II and III bursts. Analytic fits given in the paper and compared with previously published fits.
Maksimovic et al. (2011) Compilation of empirical extrapolations and coronal measurements used to estimate electron densities and electron velocity distribution shapes (e.g., core, halo, strahl) down to 10 solar radii. PDF summaries of extrapolations for electron density and velocity distributions are available here. See also Stverak et al. (2009).
Marsch (1991) Empirical, inward extrapolations of temperatures from Helios measurements between 0.3 and 1 AU. Analytic power-law indices given in Tables 8.2-8.4 for radial dependences of temperatures (electron, proton, alpha) in the corona for a range of wind speed bins.
McGregor et al. (2011) Statistical results of many 3D MHD (WSA-ENLIL) models, showing how wind speeds at 1 AU correlate with wind speeds at 0.1 and 0.385 AU. (Useful for predicting magnitudes of stream-stream interactions in the inner heliosphere?) Trends shown in plots in the paper.
MS-FLUKSS 3D MHD AMR heliospheric model; includes pickup ions, interstellar neutrals, and turbulent transport. See Pogorelov et al. (2010a; 2010b)
Salem (2010) Empirical, inward extrapolations of a wide range of plasma parameters from Helios measurements between 0.3 and 1 AU. TBD
Sheeley et al. (1997, 2010) Empirical: coronagraphic tracking of white-light "blobs" to obtain acceleration profile of slow solar wind in streamers (2-30 Rsun). Analytic fits to velocity and acceleration vs radius are given in papers. See also Tappin et al. (1999).
Sittler, Guhathakurta (1999, 2002, 2006) Semi-empirical, 1-fluid model (2D/3D). The specified B-field and density constrain the flow speed, temperature, and heating rate. Some quantities are given analytically in the papers.
Space Weather Modeling Framework (SWMF) (Gombosi, Toth, et al.) 3D MHD coronal/heliosphere model, uses photospheric magnetograms as input. SWMF code is downloadable with registration, and documentation is available. Also, runs can be performed on request via the CCMC.
Spangler et al. (1995, 2002) Empirical measurements of solar wind density fluctuations (10-60 Rsun). Data and analytic fits shown in paper; see also section 2.1 of Subramanian and Cairns (2010).
Wang, Sheeley, et al. (1993, 1995, 2003, 2009) Theoretical 1-fluid models along 1D flux tubes, empirical coronal heating. Results shown in papers.
WKB and non-WKB models of Alfven wave amplitudes Empirical, inward extrapolations from Helios measurements (0.3-1 AU) to the corona using various assumptions about the damping (or lack thereof) of the waves. Preliminary data was assembled for the Cranmer and Chandran (2010) SHINE poster, and some of this is available in tabular form at the above link. See also Roberts (2010).