A slew of recent remote observations have shown that sufficiently fast coronal mass ejections (CMEs) can drive shock waves very low in the solar atmosphere. Collisionless shocks are known to produce solar energetic particles (SEPs), but it is presently not known to what energies they accelerate particles efficiently, or how that efficiency varies in time and location. The evolution of SEP fluxes in the early stages of coronal eruptions is of considerable interest to heliophysics, since it allows us to study processes of particle acceleration, probe interplanetary magnetic fields, and understand the origins of particle radiation that pose significant risks for space exploration. Even so, to date the connection between the global coronal field configuration, observed shock wave dynamics, and their efficiency at producing SEPs remains unresolved. We have formed an ISSI working team to unravel this connection. We will identify a number of events to analyze, using both remote and in situ observations. Comparisons will be made with simulated data and current theory models, in order to explore the parameter space of coronal shock waves, their interaction with the magnetic fields in the low and middle corona and their association with SEP events. The team has the required expertise in observations, theory, and modeling of solar eruptions and the associated particle acceleration.

Proposal of the Kozarev and Nitta Team