MMS 1 DSP Search Coil Magnetometer: Magnetic Field Power Spectral Density, 16 s Data

MMS magnetic field power spectral density (BPSD) data is computed onboard the MMS 1 spacecraft by its Digital Signal Processor. The data is derived from Search Coil Magnetometer (SCM) signals via a 1024-point FFT algorithm, producing spectra with 88 pseudo-logarithmic frequency bins and a dynamic range over 120 dB. This Level 2 (L2) dataset in slow mode is provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyzing plasma wave emissions based on the 88 pseudo-logarithmic frequency bins.
• Determining plasma density based on the narrow-band emission fitting accuracy of (del f)/f ~3%.
• Studying magnetic field spectral dynamics based on the 16 spectra per second reporting rate and 16-second averaging capability.
• Investigating signal processing techniques for spaceborne instruments based on the described FPGA and ALU implementation.

Strengths

• Data is processed with a 1024-point FFT algorithm, providing spectral resolution.
• Spectra are reduced to 88 frequency bins with (del f)/f between 6% and 12%, offering pseudo-logarithmic spacing.
• Amplitude compression achieves over 120 dB of dynamic range at ~5% precision.
• The averaging process uses 48-bit accuracy to maximize dynamic range.

Limitations

• Timing between signal channels can be inaccurate by a fraction of a second as components are not synchronized.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Computed onboard the MMS 1 spacecraft by the Digital Signal Processor (DSP) from Search Coil Magnetometer (SCM) analog signals.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03 13 09:15:34.200960; freshness should be verified.

Geography

null