Polar PWI WBR: Plasma Wave Measurements at 4.016 Microsecond Resolution

Plasma wave data from the Polar spacecraft's Wideband Receiver, capturing high-resolution electromagnetic field fluctuations. The instrument collected snapshots of 1992 or 3984 data points every 0.064 seconds, with a sampling frequency of 249 kHz. Data was produced by the University of Iowa and is hosted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Use Cases

• Analyzing wave modes like auroral kilometric radiation and chorus based on frequency ranges specified in the calibration table
• Studying wave propagation and polarization based on the described antenna coordinate system
• Calibrating time-series data using the described FFT and Hanning window methodology
• Investigating plasma wave phenomena in specific certified frequency bands to avoid amplitude errors

Strengths

• Provides high temporal resolution measurements at 4.016 microseconds per sample
• Includes a detailed calibration table specifying certified frequency ranges for multiple translation filters
• Documentation references a peer-reviewed instrument description in Space Science Reviews

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Amplitude values may be in error outside the certified frequency ranges listed in the description
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, University of Iowa (Donald Gurnett)

Collection Method

Collected by the Plasma Wave Instrument (PWI) Wideband Receiver on the Polar spacecraft.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 05:25:27.476356; freshness should be verified