MMS FPI: Magnetospheric Plasma Partial Distribution Moments at 0.15-Second Resolution

NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale mission provides high-resolution plasma measurements from its Fast Plasma Investigation instrument. This Level 2 product contains partial distribution moments calculated over limited velocity space, with data available in Burst Mode at 0.15-second resolution for ions and 0.03-second for electrons. The dataset is produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyzing fast plasma dynamics based on high-resolution burst mode data mentioned in the description
• Studying partial velocity distributions based on the 'density_part' and similar partial moment parameters
• Correlating plasma behavior with instrument operational states based on included time stamps and system annotation
• Comparing plasma properties inside and outside the Mission Region of Interest based on the different survey modes described

Strengths

• Data originates from NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale mission, a flagship heliophysics project.
• Provides high-temporal-resolution measurements, with ion data at 0.15 seconds and electron data at 0.03 seconds in burst mode.
• Includes annotated time stamps and instrument state parameters for contextual analysis.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Not all burst resolution data are downlinked per the mission design, creating potential data gaps.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected by the Dual Ion Spectrometer (DIS) and Dual Electron Spectrometer (DES) components of the Fast Plasma Investigation instrument on the Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 06:29:50.205838; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Earth's magnetosphere and surrounding regions.