In this work we describe our implementation of a thermodynamic energy
equation into the global corona model of the Space Weather Modeling Framework
(SWMF), and its development into the new Lower Corona (LC) model. This work
includes the integration of the additional energy transport terms of coronal
heating, electron heat conduction, and optically thin radiative cooling into
the governing magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) energy equation. We examine two
different boundary conditions using this model; one set in the upper transition
region (the Radiative Energy Balance model), as well as a uniform chromospheric
condition where the transition region can be modeled in its entirety. Via
observation synthesis from model results and the subsequent comparison to full
sun extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and soft X-Ray observations of Carrington
Rotation (CR) 1913 centered on Aug 27, 1996, we demonstrate the need for these
additional considerations when using global MHD models to describe the unique
conditions in the low corona. Through multiple simulations we examine ability
of the LC model to asses and discriminate between coronal heating models, and
find that a relative simple empirical heating model is adequate in reproducing
structures observed in the low corona. We show that the interplay between
coronal heating and electron heat conduction provides significant feedback onto
the 3D magnetic topology in the low corona as compared to a potential field
extrapolation, and that this feedback is largely dependent on the amount of
mechanical energy introduced into the corona.
