Solar Physics DOI: 10.1007/•••••-•••-•••-••••-• Magnetic Field Configuration Models and Reconstruction Methods for Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections

Abstract This study aims to provide a reference to different magnetic field models and reconstruction methods for interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs). In order to understand the differences in the outputs of those models and codes, we analyze 59 events from the Coordinated Data Analysis Workshop (CDAW) list, using four different magnetic field models and reconstruction tech-niques; force-free fitting (Goldstein, 1983; Burlaga, 1988; Lepping, Burlaga, and Jones, 1990), magnetostatic reconstruction using a numerical solution to the Grad-Shafranov equation (Hu and Sonnerup, 2001), fitting to a self-similarly expanding cylindrical configuration (Marubashi and Lepping, 2007) and ellip-tical, non-force free fitting (Hidalgo, 2003). The resulting parameters of the reconstructions for the 59 events are compared statistically, as well as in selected case studies. The ability of a method to fit or reconstruct an event is found to vary greatly: the Grad-Shafranov reconstruction is successful for most magnetic clouds (MCs) but for less than 10 % of the non-MC ICMEs; the other three 1Centrum voor Plasma-Astrofysica, Katholieke Universitei