MMS SCM: AC Magnetic Field Waveforms at 16384 Samples/s

High-speed burst mode AC magnetic field waveforms measured by the MMS satellite's Search Coil Magnetometer. The tri-axial instrument measures three-dimensional magnetic field fluctuations in nanoTesla, calibrated at the National Magnetic Observatory and checked onboard per orbit. Data is processed by the Digital Signal Processor and stored by the Central Instrument Data Processor.

Use Cases

• Analyze high-frequency magnetic wave spectra based on waveforms sampled at 16384 Hz
• Study three-dimensional magnetic field fluctuations in scientific Regions of Interest (ROI)
• Validate instrument calibration using onboard calibration signals mentioned in the description
• Compare survey mode and burst mode data acquisition strategies for different orbital segments

Strengths

• Data is sampled at a high rate of 16384 samples per second
• Instrument was calibrated at the National Magnetic Observatory, Chambon-la-Foret
• Onboard calibration signal checks the transfer function once per orbit

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measured by the tri-axial Search-Coil Magnetometer on the MMS satellite, digitized and processed by the Digital Signal Processor.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 09:15:13.447316; freshness should be verified

Geography

Data collected in the GSE frame during MMS orbits around Earth.