ACE SEPICA: Solar Energetic Ion Flux and Charge State Measurements, 1-Hour Data

Hourly energetic ion flux intensities and uncertainties measured by the ACE spacecraft's Solar Energetic Particle Ionic Charge Analyzer (SEPICA). The instrument determines charge state, kinetic energy, and nuclear charge for ions above 0.2 MeV/n, including those from solar flares and interplanetary events. Data is provided by NASA and last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling solar energetic particle acceleration and transport based on ionic charge state distributions.
• Analyzing space weather events like Energetic Storm Particle (ESP) events based on energetic ion flux data.
• Studying isotopic ratios (e.g., 3He/4He) in solar particle populations for low mass numbers.
• Investigating particle sources in co-rotating interaction regions (CIRs) based on ion composition and energy measurements.

Strengths

• Data is designated as Level 2, indicating it is processed and suitable for scientific study.
• Instrument measures multiple ion properties: ionic charge state (Q), kinetic energy (E), and nuclear charge (Z).
• Covers ions from distinct solar and interplanetary sources, including solar flares, ESPs, and CIRs.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The description advises consultation with the ACE team before publication to avoid misuse.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Measurements from the ACE Solar Energetic Particle Ionic Charge Analyzer (SEPICA) instrument.

Time Range

Temporal coverage is not explicitly stated in the provided input.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03 14:32:21.516405; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Data collected in interplanetary space by the ACE spacecraft.