MMS DSP Electric Field Power Spectral Density, 16 s Averaged Data

16 spectra per second to one spectrum every 16 seconds reporting rates characterize onboard computed electric field power spectral density (EPSD). The data is produced by the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission's Digital Signal Processor (DSP) using a 1024-point FFT algorithm on signals from Axial and Spin-Plane Double Probes. It was created by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and last updated on March 13, 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyze plasma wave frequency spectra based on the 56 pseudo-logarithmic frequency bins.
• Determine plasma density based on narrow-band emissions fit to an accuracy of (del f)/f ~3%.
• Study electric field fluctuations based on power spectra calculated from real and imaginary FFT data.
• Investigate signal processing performance based on the described 1024-point FFT and Hanning window application.
• Examine dynamic range in spectral measurements based on the 8-bit compression representing over 120 dB.

Strengths

• Spectra are calculated via a 1024-point FFT algorithm, providing detailed frequency resolution.
• The averaging process has 48-bit accuracy to maximize dynamic range.
• Amplitudes undergo pseudo-logarithmic compression to an 8-bit number representing over 120 dB of dynamic range.

Limitations

• Timing between 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 is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Onboard computation by the Digital Signal Processor (DSP) on the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 08:28:40.601373; freshness should be verified.