Global MHD Modeling of the Solar Wind and CMEs: Energetic Particle Applications

Global MHD models of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) can provide important insights into the physical processes associated with the eruption and evolution of CMEs and the acceleration of SEPs, and are a valuable tool for interpreting both remote solar and interplanetary in situ observations. Moreover, they represent a virtual laboratory for exploring conditions and regions of space that are not conveniently or currently accessible by spacecraft. The most energetic events typically originate from active regions on the Sun. To accurately model such regions, whilst also capturing the global corona, requires an MHD model that includes energy transport (radiative losses, anisotropic thermal conduction, and coronal heating) in the transition region and corona. Equally importantly, the model must reproduce an accurate ambient solar wind through which the CME propagates. In this report, we describe the current status of modeling efforts, and present three applications that we believe are relevant in studies of energetic particles: the Alfvén speed in the corona; the evolution of the heliospheric current sheet; and CME eruptions.