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Description
RIMAP (Reverse In situ data and MHD APproach) is a data-driven model designed to reconstruct the ambient solar-wind conditions in the solar equatorial plane starting from in situ measurements, coupling analytical backmapping with numerical simulations performed with the PLUTO MHD code. Unlike models primarily driven by remote-sensing observations, RIMAP is built to preserve longitudinal variability and small-scale structures observed in the solar wind (thin streams, sharp gradients, and localized inhomogeneities) that are often smoothed out.
This capability makes RIMAP an ideal test bench to investigate the propagation and interaction of solar transients such as Coronal Mass Ejections within a realistic, structured interplanetary background, enabling controlled assessments of distortion, compression, and deflection effects induced by the ambient wind. This has measurable effects on the predicted arrival times of solar disturbances, depending on the local properties of the solar wind streamlines.
RIMAP has also been operationally integrated into the space weather portal at INAF-Turin Astrophysical Observatory, SWELTO, where a low-resolution version runs in quasi-real time as a product supporting space-weather activities and the validation of new diagnostic routines.
| Numerical model | RIMAP |
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