MMS HPCA: Magnetospheric Ion Composition Data at 0.625 Second Resolution

Hot Plasma Composition Analyzer (HPCA) instruments on the MMS satellites measure ion energy and composition in the magnetosphere from 1 eV to 40 keV. The Level 2 burst mode data product provides counts for five ion species across 63 energies, 16 elevation anodes, and 16 azimuths every 0.625 seconds. This dataset is produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Use Cases

• Analyze magnetospheric plasma composition dynamics based on counts for five ion species (H+, He++, He+, O+, background)
• Model ion energy distributions based on measurements across 63 energy levels
• Study plasma anisotropy based on data from 16 elevation anodes and 16 azimuths
• Validate satellite instrument models based on time-of-flight (TOF) measurement data

Strengths

• Data covers five distinct ion species: protons (H+), alpha particles (He++), helium ions (He+), singly charged Oxygen (O+), and background counts
• High temporal resolution with measurements taken every 0.625 seconds
• Broad energy range coverage from 1 eV to 40 keV

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Data is provided in BIN format, which may require specialized tools for parsing

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measured by Hot Plasma Composition Analyzer (HPCA) instruments on the MMS satellites.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 08:42:03.452680; freshness should be verified