Did the July 2012 solar events cause a “tsunami” throughout the heliosphere, heliosheath, and into the interstellar medium?

The July 2012 major solar events gave rise to manifestations observed at many longitudes/latitudes/radial locations throughout the heliosphere, heliosheath, and into the interstellar medium. For these solar events we present our initial results at 1AU from our HAFSS (Hakamada-Akasofu-Fry Source Surface) three-dimensional time-dependent kinematic modeling. Our simulations, using Wang-Sheeley-Arge maps and solar event observations, start at 2.5 R-S from the center of the Sun. We use both the quiescent background solar conditions and the solar events (e.g., coronal mass ejections (CMEs)) as inputs and propagate outward. We compare HAFSS predictions with in situ spacecraft measurements and conclude that the July 2012 solar events caused a metaphorical tsunami in the plasma and magnetic field throughout the heliosphere/heliosheath/interstellar medium. The simulations show evidence of shocks, interaction regions, and rarefaction regions in the inner heliosphere (1AU) and shocks, global merged interaction regions (GMIRs) and rarefaction regions in the heliosheath. The shocks/interaction regions/GMIRs and the rarefaction regions are, respectively, analogous to the tsunami crests and troughs. To provide important insights into 3-D processes, we simulated 1AU observations (STEREO A and ACE) and observations at Voyager 2 (V2) and Voyager 1 (V1) far off the ecliptic plane: V2 at 30 degrees S, 217 degrees longitude, and 102AU; V1 at 34 degrees N, 174 degrees longitude, and 124AU. HAFSS successfully predicted observed CME arrival times at 1AU. Our results for this tsunami are the first simulations for these events in the distant V2/V1 radial/latitudinal/longitudinal regions based on 3-D time-dependent modeling originating at the Sun.