Speaker
Description
This research aims to explore the connection between the global configuration of the solar magnetic field and the geoeffectiveness of Earth-impacting coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The heliospheric plasma sheet (HPS), which is related to the heliospheric current sheet (HCS), is a large-scale magnetic structure characterized by weak magnetic field intensity, but relatively high mass density and slow flow velocity. As such, it can act as a significant obstacle to CMEs interacting with it, which may cause strong changes in the CME’s propagation behavior and also structure evolution.
In this study, we demonstrate that CMEs independent on their related flare energy can produce either strong or weak geomagnetic effects, depending on Earth's location relative to the HCS/HPS and the CME source region. Through a comparative analysis of events occurring in October 2024, we highlight the critical role of CME–HCS/HPS interactions and the resulting modulation effects that contribute to widely varying geomagnetic impacts. We conclude that the HCS and associated plasma sheet structures are currently underrepresented in CME propagation studies and deserve greater attention in both fundamental and applied Space Weather research.
