Abstract: MHD simulation of solar flux rope eruption and turbulent interplanetary shocks
We conducted 2.5D MHD simulations to investigate the formation and eruption of solar flux ropes and prominences in a stratified solar atmosphere with chromosphere and corona. Our simulations focused on the formation of flux ropes through photospheric converging motion, which rise and lift chromospheric material into the corona, resulting in prominence formation. We also studied the sudden eruption of pre-existing flux ropes in the low corona due to catastrophe, which drives a fast shock above the erupting flux rope. In this process, the plasmoid instability occurs, transferring remnant chromospheric matter to the flux rope through newly formed magnetic islands. Additionally, we investigated shock-turbulence interactions in interplanetary space using high-resolution (12800x6400) MHD simulations. Our simulations considered the effects of pre-existing, large-scale, broadband turbulent magnetic fluctuations on propagating MHD shock waves in a perpendicular shock geometry with the average magnetic field directed out of the simulation plane. These interactions led to a turbulent downstream fluid with plasmoids of various sizes, ranging from the coherence length of turbulence to the scale of the gyroradius, appearing in both upstream and downstream regions. We observed a higher number density of plasmoids downstream of the shock compared to the upstream region. Our findings have implications for understanding various aspects of solar storms: flux rope eruption, prominence formation, and interplanetary shock propagation.