Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and their associated shocks are major sources of space weather. In order to forecast their impact at Earth, it is crucial to accurately model their propagation in interplanetary space. The only tool capable of treating the large scales of CME evolution is global magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) modeling. However, this approach cannot resolve the small scales on which important processes occur (such as the acceleration of the solar wind and coronal heating). The solar wind solution depends on which method is utilized to mimic these processes. And because the evolution of a CME depends crucially on its interaction with the solar wind, the CME evolution will also be connected to the heating mechanisms and drivers utilized in an MHD model. In the first part of the thesis, we show that the ad hoc approaches to coronal heating used in global MHD models leads to unphysical conditions for CME-driven shock formation in the lower corona (1-10 solar radii). We present this argument in two steps. First, we present a CME simulation in which the solar wind was accelerated and heated by reducing the value of the polytropic index (to less than the adiabatic value) in the lower corona. As it is not well understood, we do not model the CME initiation process - we utilize an out-of-equilibrium Titov-Demoulin flux rope to begin the eruption. We analyze several aspects of the CME, such as its kinematics and energy evolution, the shock formation and evolution, the plasma flows in the CME-sheath and their connection to the CME magnetic field vector, and the plasma pile-up at the front of the CME. We find that some characteristics are inconsistent with the observed properties of CMEs, and we connect these to the ad hoc treatment of the solar wind heating. Second, we use data of CME shock-accelerated solar energetic particle events to constrain the profile of the Alfven speed in the lower corona. We show that the Alfven speed profile from global MHD models with ad hoc heating is not aligned with these observations, but that local (one dimensional) models with physically-motivated Alfven wave dissipation as a heating mechanism were in agreement. In the second part of the thesis, we study the resonant absorption of surface Alfven waves (SAW), a process which heats the solar wind. It is driven by a transverse gradient in the local Alfven speed (in relation to the magnetic field direction). In the solar corona, we expect this mechanism to occur at the boundaries of open and closed magnetic fields. We make the first estimation of SAW energy dissipation in the solar corona and find that it is comparable to the ad hoc heating a polytropic model at the boundary of open and closed magnetic fields and in subpolar open field regions. Next, we implemented the SAW damping mechanism into the new solar corona component of the Space Weather Modeling Framework, in which Alfven wave energy transport is self-consistently coupled to the MHD equations. The model already included wave dissipation along open magnetic field lines, mimicking turbulence. We demonstrate that including SAW dissipation in the model improved agreement with observations of coronal temperature both near the Sun and in the inner heliosphere by comparing with data from Ulysses and the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO). Also, the inclusion of SAW dissipation steepened the Alfven speed profile in the lower corona, aligning the Alfven profile better with observational constraints of shock formation. In the final part of the thesis, we modeled a CME in this newly developed solar wind background, and studied the interaction between the CME and the wind. We generate the eruption with a flux rope. We constrain the parameters of the flux rope with data from the 13 May 2005 eruption, including H-alpha images of the pre-eruption magnetic field, coronagraph images of the CME's shape and velocity. Because the flux rope traveled faster than the local magnetosonic speed, it acted as a piston and drove a shock wave ahead of it. The CME-driven shock had a strong impact on the solar wind environment through which it propagates: it altered the wave energy by concentrating it in the sheath through advection, and also increasing its value through momentum transfer. This simulation demonstrated how Alfven waves are focused into the sheaths of ICMEs. The wave energy is then dissipated at the shock due to SAW damping. The shock heating accounted for 10% of the total change in thermal energy of the CME. The resulting temperature distribution of the CME is more aligned with observations than from a CME modeled in a polytropic solar wind. This thesis has improved our understanding of the interaction between a CME and the solar wind through which it propagates. Our picture of CME-evolution in the lower corona will be tested by future missions Solar Probe (which will sample this region directly) and the Solar Orbiter.

This volume is dedicated to the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which was launched 11 February 2010. The articles focus on the spacecraft and its instruments: the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), the Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE), and the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI). Articles within also describe calibration results and data processing pipelines that are critical to understanding the data and products, concluding with a description of the successful Education and Public Outreach activities. This book is geared towards anyone interested in using the unprecedented data from SDO, whether for fundamental heliophysics research, space weather modeling and forecasting, or educational purposes. Previously published in Solar Physics journal, Vol. 275/1-2, 2012. Selected articles in this book are published open access under a CC BY-NC 2.5 license at link.springer.com. For further details, please see the license information in the chapters.

Proceedings of the IAU Symposium on Coronal and Stellar Mass Ejections.

This advanced textbook reviews the complex interaction between the Sun's plasma atmosphere and its magnetic field.

Physics of the Inner Heliosphere gives for the first time a comprehensive and complete summary of our knowledge of the inner solar system. Using data collected over more than 11 years by the HELIOS twin solar probes, one of the most successful ventures in unmanned space exploration, the authors have compiled six extensive reviews of the physical processes of the inner heliosphere and their relation to the solar atmosphere. Researchers and advanced students in space and plasma physics, astronomy, and solar physics will be surprised to see just how closely the heliosphere is tied to, and how sensitively it depends on, the sun. Volume 2 deals with particles, waves, and turbulence, with chapters on: - magnetic clouds - interplanetary clouds - the solar wind plasma and MHD turbulence - waves and instabilities - energetic particles in the inner solar system

Extreme Events in Geospace: Origins, Predictability, and Consequences helps deepen the understanding, description, and forecasting of the complex and inter-related phenomena of extreme space weather events. Composed of chapters written by representatives from many different institutions and fields of space research, the book offers discussions ranging from definitions and historical knowledge to operational issues and methods of analysis. Given that extremes in ionizing radiation, ionospheric irregularities, and geomagnetically induced currents may have the potential to disrupt our technologies or pose danger to human health, it is increasingly important to synthesize the information available on not only those consequences but also the origins and predictability of such events. Extreme Events in Geospace: Origins, Predictability, and Consequences is a valuable source for providing the latest research for geophysicists and space weather scientists, as well as industries impacted by space weather events, including GNSS satellites and radio communication, power grids, aviation, and human spaceflight. The list of first/second authors includes M. Hapgood, N. Gopalswamy, K.D. Leka, G. Barnes, Yu. Yermolaev, P. Riley, S. Sharma, G. Lakhina, B. Tsurutani, C. Ngwira, A. Pulkkinen, J. Love, P. Bedrosian, N. Buzulukova, M. Sitnov, W. Denig, M. Panasyuk, R. Hajra, D. Ferguson, S. Lai, L. Narici, K. Tobiska, G. Gapirov, A. Mannucci, T. Fuller-Rowell, X. Yue, G. Crowley, R. Redmon, V. Airapetian, D. Boteler, M. MacAlester, S. Worman, D. Neudegg, and M. Ishii. Helps to define extremes in space weather and describes existing methods of analysis Discusses current scientific understanding of these events and outlines future challenges Considers the ways in which space weather may affect daily life Demonstrates deep connections between astrophysics, heliophysics, and space weather applications, including a discussion of extreme space weather events from the past Examines national and space policy issues concerning space weather in Australia, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States

A thorough introduction to solar physics based on recent spacecraft observations. The author introduces the solar corona and sets it in the context of basic plasma physics before moving on to discuss plasma instabilities and plasma heating processes. The latest results on coronal heating and radiation are presented. Spectacular phenomena such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections are described in detail, together with their potential effects on the Earth.