Numerical simulations of the geospace response to the arrival of a perfect interplanetary coronal mass ejection

Understanding extreme space weather events in terms of the geospace response is a critical step towards protecting vulnerable technological infrastructure. This is particularly relevant for the effects of geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) on ground-based power grids, which can be approximated by examining the rate of change of the surface magnetic field, $dB/dt$. In a previous study, \citet{Tsurutani2014} created estimates for a perfect, isolated interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) and performed a simple calculation for the response of geospace, including $dB/dt$. In this study, the estimates of \citet{Tsurutani2014} are used to drive a coupled magnetohydrodynamic (MHD)-ring current-ionosphere model of geospace to obtain more detailed and physically accurate estimates of the geospace response to such an ICME. The sudden impulse phase is examined; calculations of surface $dB/dt$, Dst index, and day side magnetopause compression are compared to the less sophisticated estimations of \citet{Tsur...