March 14, 2024
Fujitsu Limited
Tokai National Higher Education and Research System
Fujitsu and Tokai National Higher Education and Research System collaborate on AIbased space weather research
Leveraging Fujitsu's explainable AI technology to detect conditions for solar flares that leadto an increase in solar energetic particles
Tokyo and Nagoya, March 14, 2024 – Fujitsu and Tokai National Higher Education andResearch System (hereinafter THERS) today announced a joint research on the predictionof space radiation phenomena to ensure the safe human exploration of the Moon, Mars,and interplanetary space (1). As part of the joint research, the two partners applied Fujitsu’s“Wide Learning” explainable AI technology offered via Fujitsu’s AI platform Kozuchi, anddiscovered conditions for the occurrence of solar flares (2), solar eruptive events whichlead to an increase in solar energetic particles (hereinafter SEP) (3) which in turn affectspace weather.
Moving forward, Fujitsu and THERS will continue to accelerate research to further enhancespace weather forecasts and support the exploration of outer space.
Fujitsu and THERS presented results of this joint research at the 2024 Annual SpringMeeting of the Astronomical Society of Japan, to be held on Monday, March 11, 2024.
Background
Based on a partnership agreement between Fujitsu and THERS signed on February 24,2023 (4), Fujitsu and Nagoya University’s Institute for Space-Earth Environmental
Research (hereinafter ISEE) (5), an affiliate organization of THERS, have been conducting
joint research on the advancement of space weather forecasts to solve challenges related
to human exploration of outer space.
Space weather not only impacts our activity in space, but can also cause communication
failures in daily life, disturbances in satellite positioning, and affect air route planning.
Research on space weather observation represents an increasingly important challengeboth in Japan and globally.

SEPs, a type of cosmic ray (6) that is formed suddenly and propagates through space
following flares and coronal mass ejections (7) directly affect objects such as satellites, butalso human bodies and astronauts. Direct exposure to SEPs in space can lead to lethal
doses.

Image 1: Occurrence of space weather phenomena and the effects of solar energetic
particles
Methods and results of the joint research
To derive the conditions for the occurrence of flares that lead to an increase in SEPs,
Fujitsu and THERS leveraged Fujitsu's "Wide Learning" explainable AI technology toanalyze and extract the conditions that lead to the occurrence of these SEP events from alarge number of combinations of data on factors including flare brightness, occurrence
position, and duration.
Data used in the research

Database of past SEP events and soft X-ray intensity, longitude, and flare duration
time provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA)Space Weather Prediction Center

Solar photospheric magnetic field data in the area around sunspots observed by theNational Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Solar Dynamics Observatory
satellite (8)A 3D magnetic field model around sunspots (9) calculated by the Fujitsu
supercomputer "Flow" installed by the Information Technology Center, Nagoya
University in 2020, using a scheme developed by ISEEAs a result of their research, Fujitsu and THERS found that the soft X-ray intensity andduration time of flares represent an important factor in the generation of SEP events, andthat the first flare generated in sunspot regions with a low number of flares is likely to cause
an increase in SEPs.
As flares tend to occur continuously at certain sunspots, common methods to predict flareoccurrence referred to history data of the last flare. However, Fujitsu and THER’s
research results suggest that the prediction of the first flare, which occurs in the sunspot
region where the flare activity of the previous day was relatively weak, represents animportant factor in the prediction of SEP events, providing a new guideline for the future
research and development of space weather forecasts.
Fujitsu and THERS confirmed that the numerical model constructed within their joint
research enables prediction of the increase of SEP with the same accuracy as conventional
prediction methods, and that accuracy can be further improved by using original
parameters based on the three-dimensional magnetic field model around sunspots.

Future plans
To contribute to the realization of safe human exploration of outer space, Fujitsu andTHERS will continue to analyze the prediction of first solar flares as an important factor inSEP events, accelerate research to provide new findings related to the generation of SEPevents, and combine THERS’ knowledge in the field of space science with Fujitsu's
technology to engage in R&D and social implementation of space weather forecasting.
Notes
1.

Interplanetary space:Space between planets in the solar system

2.

Solar flares:
Large explosions in the Sun’s atmosphere

3.

Solar energetic particles:(Proton event.) The occurrence of accelerated energetic particles associated with solar
flares and coronal mass ejections

4.

“Fujitsu and Tokai National Higher Education and Research System sign partnership tocreate wellbeing society and develop space technologies, contribute to theachievement of the SDGs and Society 5.0” (press release, February 24, 2023:
https://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/2023/022401.html)

5.

Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research:
Director: Kazuo Shiokawa

6.

Cosmic radiation:
Various types of radiation present in outer space

7.

Coronal mass ejection:
A sudden and massive ejection of plasma from the solar corona into interplanetaryspace

8.

Solar Dynamics Observatory:
Solar Dynamics Observatory Mission (https://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/)

9.

3D magnetic field model around sunspots:
Kusano et al. 2020 Science (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaz2511)

Related links:
Fujitsu Wide Learning
https://widelearning.labs.fujitsu.com/en/

Astronomical Society of Japan
https://www.asj.or.jp/en/About Fujitsu
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