Analysis of Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections Observed by STEREO and MESSENGER

Abstract

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) expelled from the solar corona are a major space weather driver, both in space and on the ground. The fast-traveling CME plasma, which carries a twisted magnetic field, is a common source of geomagnetic disturbances that can affect a wide range of human technologies. Thus, understanding the magnetic structure and dynamics of CMEs is of critical importance for space weather forecasting. Thanks to the past and current Heliophysics System Observatories (HSOs), we have advanced our understanding by, for instance, connecting the traditional ‘magnetic clouds (MCs)’ with the CMEs. However, our proficiency in unraveling the internal magnetic structure of their counterpart in the interplanetary medium, the ICMEs, is still limited. The goal of this work is to decipher the internal magnetic configuration of ICMEs observed by STEREO and MESSENGER by systematically sorting, studying, and quantifying their internal magnetic structure.