A Peculiar ICME Event in August 2018 Observed with the Global Muon Detector Network

TL;DR

This study uses global cosmic-ray observations to analyze a unique magnetic flux rope event in August 2018, revealing how cosmic-ray data can inform understanding of large-scale solar wind interactions and geomagnetic storms.

Contribution

It demonstrates the value of cosmic-ray measurements in constraining the three-dimensional structure of interplanetary magnetic flux ropes and their role in geomagnetic storm development.

Findings

Cosmic-ray density increased near the flux rope's trailing edge.

A northeast-directed spatial gradient in cosmic-ray density was observed.

The event provided insights into cosmic-ray adiabatic heating mechanisms.

Abstract

We demonstrate that global observations of high-energy cosmic rays contribute to understanding unique characteristics of a large-scale magnetic flux rope causing a magnetic storm in August 2018. Following a weak interplanetary shock on 25 August 2018, a magnetic flux rope caused an unexpectedly large geomagnetic storm. It is likely that this event became geoeffective because the flux rope was accompanied by a corotating interaction region and compressed by high-speed solar wind following the flux rope. In fact, a Forbush decrease was observed in cosmic-ray data inside the flux rope as expected, and a significant cosmic-ray density increase exceeding the unmodulated level before the shock was also observed near the trailing edge of the flux rope. The cosmic-ray density increase can be interpreted in terms of the adiabatic heating of cosmic rays near the trailing edge of the flux rope, as the corotating interaction region prevents free expansion of the flux rope and results in the compression near the trailing edge. A northeast-directed spatial gradient in the cosmic-ray density was also derived during the cosmic-ray density increase, suggesting that the center of the heating near the trailing edge is located northeast of Earth. This is one of the best examples demonstrating that the observation of high-energy cosmic rays provides us with information that can only be derived from the cosmic ray measurements to observationally constrain the three-dimensional macroscopic picture of the interaction between coronal mass ejections and the ambient solar wind, which is essential for prediction of large magnetic storms.