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SPACE WEATHER, VOL. 4, S06004, doi:10.1029/2004SW000100, 2006

Real-time Earth magnetosphere simulator with three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic code

M. Den

Computer and Information Network Center, National Institute for Fusion Science, Gifu, Japan


T. Tanaka

Department of Physics, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Tokyo, Japan


S. Fujita

Meteorological College, Chiba, Japan


T. Obara

Simulator Group, Applied Research and Standards Department, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Tokyo, Japan


H. Shimazu

Simulator Group, Applied Research and Standards Department, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Tokyo, Japan


H. Amo

1st Computers Software Division, NEC Corporation, Tokyo, Japan


Y. Hayashi

1st Computers Software Division, NEC Corporation, Tokyo, Japan


E. Nakano

High Performance Computing Marketing Promotion Division, NEC Corporation, Tokyo, Japan


Y. Seo

Internet Systems Research Laboratories, NEC Corporation, Tokyo, Japan


K. Suehiro

1st Computers Software Division, NEC Corporation, Tokyo, Japan


H. Takahara

High Performance Computing Marketing Promotion Division, NEC Corporation, Tokyo, Japan


T. Takei

High Performance Computing Marketing Promotion Division, NEC Corporation, Tokyo, Japan


Abstract

We developed a real-time numerical simulator for the solar wind–space–magnetosphere–ionosphere coupling system, adopting the three-dimensional (3-D) magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation code developed by Tanaka. By using the real-time solar wind data, which is available from the ACE spacecraft every minute, as the upstream boundary conditions for density, temperature, flow speed, and interplanetary magnetic field, our MHD simulation system can numerically reproduce the global response of the magnetosphere and ionosphere at the same time as in the real world. We achieved real-time 3-D simulations of the solar wind–magnetosphere–ionosphere coupling system with a 44 × 56 × 60 mesh size by adapting high-performance FORTRAN language with eight CPUs on a supercomputer system located at the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT). Simulated plasma temperature and density in geostationary orbit were also plotted as an index to predict satellite charging. In addition, we present real-time virtual AE indices obtained from simulation results that directly compare with geomagnetic field activities as well as real-time plasma temperature and density in geostationary orbit. Our real-time MHD simulator now runs routinely on NICT's supercomputer system. We will present a detailed configuration of the real-time simulator system in this paper. Some examples are presented from system output to show how solar wind variations result in geomagnetic disturbances.

Received 25 June 2004; accepted 12 February 2006; published 16 June 2006.

Keywords: 3-D simulation; magnetosphere; real time.

Index Terms: 7924 Space Weather: Forecasting (2722); 7954 Space Weather: Magnetic storms (2788); 7959 Space Weather: Models; 7974 Space Weather: Solar effects.


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Citation: Den, M., et al. (2006), Real-time Earth magnetosphere simulator with three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic code, Space Weather, 4, S06004, doi:10.1029/2004SW000100.