FORWARD: A Toolset for Model-Data Comparison

This set of codes is intended to be used for forward modeling of various coronal observables, and for accessing and comparing to existing data. Given a coronal model, many different synthetic observables (including MLSO/CoMP Stokes profiles) may be produced, as well as plots of model plasma propeties (density, magnetic field, etc.)

FORWARD enables "forward-fitting" of specific observations, and helps to build intuition into how physical properties of coronal plasma translate to observable properties.

FORWARD includes several analytic models in its distribution, and it is straightforward to expand it to incorporate others. It works with user-inputted numerical simulation datacubes, and automatically interfaces with the Solar Soft IDL "PFSS SolarSoft package" and "Magnetohydrodynamics on a Sphere (MAS)-corona datacubes".

FORWARD includes routines to reproduce data from EUV/Xray imagers, UV/EUV spectrometers, white-light coronagraphs, and radio polarimeters. It utilizes the "Chianti database" in modeling UV/EUV lines, and links to the "CLE polarimetry synthesis code" for forbidden coronal lines to generate Stokes polarimetric observables.

Finally, FORWARD connects to the "Virtual Solar Observatory" to download data in a format directly comparable to model predictions.