What impact does the pathway through the solar corona make on CMEs?

Decades of observations have revealed that Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) come in a variety of forms. Some have a classic 3-part structure, whilst others can be fan shaped or jet-like. Some of these differences can be put down to projection effects, but differences in magnetic structure also play a key role. Observational and simulation studies are now highlighting that the path by which a CME flux rope traverses the solar corona, and in particular the magnetic structures it interacts with on the way, shape the ultimate characteristics of the CME further out in the heliosphere. Therefore, understanding the nature of CME flux rope interaction with the ambient corona is a key part of predicting their evolution through the heliosphere and ultimately their geoeffectiveness at Earth. In this talk I’ll discuss from a modelling perspective some recent efforts to understand this interaction process and what it tells us about CMEs on a range of scales.