Simulating Solar Maximum Conditions Using the Alfven Wave Solar-Atmosphere Model (AWSoM)

To simulate solar Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), predict their time of arrival and geomagnetic impact, it is important to accurately model the background solar wind conditions in which CMEs propagate. We use the Alfvén Wave Solar-atmosphere Model (AWSoM) within the the Space Weather Modeling Framework (SWMF) to simulate solar maximum conditions during two Carrington rotations and produce solar wind background conditions comparable to the observations. We describe the inner boundary conditions for AWSoM using the ADAPT global magnetic maps and validate the simulated results with EUV observations in the low corona and measured plasma parameters at L1 as well as at the position of the STEREO spacecraft. This work complements our prior AWSoM validation study for solar minimum conditions Sachdeva et al. (2019), and shows that during periods of higher magnetic activity, AWSoM can reproduce the solar plasma conditions (using properly adjusted photospheric Poynting flux) suitable for providing proper initial conditions for launching CMEs.