Cluster-Tango Electron Drift Instrument (EDI) Data at the ESA Cluster Science Archive

NASA's Electron Drift Instrument (EDI) data from the ESA Cluster spacecraft archive provides measurements of Earth's space plasma environment. The dataset includes time series of electron drift velocity and electric field components, ambient electron counts at specific energies, and overview plots. Data products are categorized into Windshield Wiper mode, Ambient Electron mode, raw merged science files, and auxiliary calibration data.

Use Cases

• Analyzing electron drift velocity in the magnetosphere based on the three-component time series in GSE coordinates.
• Studying electric field variations in space plasma based on the corrected electric field component measurements.
• Investigating pitch-angle distributions of ambient electrons based on the 0°, 90°, and 180° electron count data.
• Calibrating instrument readings or validating models using the auxiliary intercalibration and operation mode data.

Strengths

• Data includes three distinct measurement modes: Windshield Wiper, Ambient Electron, and overview plots, providing multiple analysis perspectives.
• Time resolution for key parameters is specified, with electric field data at 1-4 seconds and electron counts at 16 milliseconds.
• Data is corrected for spacecraft motion in the GSE coordinate system, which likely improves accuracy for spatial analysis.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and total dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Primary data files are in binary (BIN) format, requiring specialized tools or knowledge for access and processing.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), via the ESA Cluster Science Archive.

Collection Method

Measurements from the Electron Drift Instrument (EDI) aboard the Cluster spacecraft.

Time Range

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Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 11:13:01.180562; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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