The Interaction of Two Coronal Mass Ejections: Influence of Relative Orientation

TL;DR

This study uses 3D MHD simulations to explore how the relative orientation of two interacting CMEs affects their evolution, magnetic reconnection, and resulting structures in the heliosphere.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the impact of CME orientation on their interaction dynamics and magnetic structure formation during propagation.

Findings

CME contraction occurs in all interaction cases.

The relative orientation influences the extent of radial expansion.

Reconnection leads to complex magnetic structures, including compound events.

Abstract

We report on a numerical investigation of two coronal mass ejections (CMEs) which interact as they propagate in the inner heliosphere. We focus on the effect of the orientation of the CMEs relative to each other by performing four different simulations with the axis of the second CME rotated by 90 degrees from one simulation to the next. Each magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) simulation is performed in three dimensions (3-D) with the Space Weather Modeling Framework (SWMF) in an idealized setting reminiscent of solar minimum conditions. We extract synthetic satellite measurements during and after the interaction and compare the different cases. We also analyze the kinematics of the two CMEs, including the evolution of their widths and aspect ratios. We find that the first CME contracts radially as a result of the interaction in all cases, but the amount of subsequent radial expansion depends on the relative orientation of the two CMEs. Reconnection between the two ejecta and between the ejecta and the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) determines the type of structure resulting from the interaction. When a CME with a high inclination with respect to the ecliptic overtakes one with a low inclination, it is possible to create a compound event with a smooth rotation in the magnetic field vector over more than 180 degrees. Due to reconnection, the second CME only appears as an extended "tail", and the event may be mistaken for a glancing encounter with an isolated CME. This configuration differs significantly from the one usually studied of a multiple-magnetic cloud event, which we found to be associated with the interaction of two CMEs with the same orientation.