ACE Solar Wind Ion Composition and Isotope Data

Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) SWICS and SWIMS Level 2 data provides time-averaged measurements of solar wind ion composition, charge states, and isotope ratios. Data is organized into hourly, daily, and 27-day (Bartels Rotation) averages. The dataset is produced by the SCIOPS organization using instruments on the ACE spacecraft.

Use Cases

• Analyze temporal trends in solar wind bulk speeds for H+, He+2, O+6, Mg+10, and Fe+11 ions across hourly and daily averages.
• Model the relationship between solar activity and elemental ratios like 4He+2/O or 56Fe+(7 to 12)/O over 27-day solar rotation periods.
• Study isotopic fractionation in the solar wind using provided isotope ratios for 3He/4He, 22Ne/20Ne, and 24Mg/26Mg.
• Investigate solar wind temperature and charge state dynamics using charge state ratios such as C+5/C+6 and O+7/O+6.

Strengths

• Data includes multiple temporal aggregations: hourly, daily, and full 27-day solar rotation periods.
• Covers a wide range of solar wind ions from hydrogen (H) through iron (Fe), including specific charge states.

Limitations

• Specific row count, file size, and temporal coverage range are not provided in the input.
• Data resolution is limited to time averages; original high-resolution spectra or event-level data are not included in this Level 2 product.

Provenance

Source

SCIOPS organization, data from the Solar Wind Ion Composition Spectrometer (SWICS) and Solar Wind Ion Mass Spectrometer (SWIMS) instruments on the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft.

Collection Method

Measurements from electrostatic analysis followed by time-of-flight and energy measurement, processed into Level 2 time-averaged parameters.

Time Range

Data organized into 27-day periods (Bartels Rotations); specific start and end dates are not provided.

Geography

Data collected from the ACE spacecraft at the L1 Lagrange point, providing a continuous upstream solar wind monitor.