Institute for Space Weather Sciences

Title:  The Early Stages of CME-Driven Shocks: from Remote Observations to SEPs

Abstract:  Solar energetic particles (SEPs) are an important phenomenon of space weather, created in flares and shock waves driven by coronal mass ejections (CMEs) under various coronal and interplanetary conditions. CME-driven shocks may produce significant SEP fluxes during the early stages of eruptions, even below 5 solar radii. We study the capability of large-scale coronal shocks to produce sizable fluxes of SEPs in the early stages of CMEs, by combining remote and in situ observations with models that provide information on the coronal plasma environment and the proton acceleration efficiency of CME-driven shocks. I will give an overview of our work characterizing coronal shock waves and modeling SEP acceleration and transport from the Sun to 1 AU, emphasizing recent results. I will also present a newly developed framework for recognition and tracking of features in EUV and radio observations, to be used in event characterization and machine learning applications.