ICE Solar Wind Plasma Electron Analyser Data, September 10-12

The International Cometary Explorer (ICE) satellite measured the 2-D electron distribution function in the solar wind. Data from the LANL plasma experiment cover the energy range 8.5 eV to 1140 eV, with derived electron density, velocity, and temperature parameters. Measurements were taken from September 10 to September 12, 1978, with a time resolution of 24 to 48 seconds.

Use Cases

• Modeling solar wind electron temperature anisotropy based on derived parallel and perpendicular temperatures.
• Analyzing temporal evolution of plasma density and velocity during a specific observation period.
• Correlating electron distribution functions with inferred magnetic field directions.
• Studying energy spectra of electrons across 16 energy levels from 8.5 eV to 1140 eV.

Strengths

• Data includes derived physical parameters (density, velocity, temperature) from primary 2-D distribution measurements.
• Time resolution is explicitly defined as 24 seconds for most of the period, changing to 48 seconds.
• Energy range is precisely specified from 8.5 eV to 1140 eV across 15 contiguous levels.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is from a specific 3-day period in 1978; temporal coverage is limited.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measured by the LANL plasma experiment on the International Cometary Explorer (ICE) satellite.

Time Range

From Day 253 (September 10) to Day 255 (September 12), 1978.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:47:46.617373; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Space, solar wind environment.