PSP SPAN-Ion: Alpha Particle Differential Energy Flux Near the Sun

Parker Solar Probe SPAN-Ion instrument measurements of alpha particle differential energy flux, with data covering 8 deflector settings, 32 energies, and 8 angles. The dataset's energy range is log-spaced from 21.0 eV to 17.6 keV, and its field of view covers nearly the entire sky. It was produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling solar wind alpha particle distributions based on the 32 energy and 8 angle measurements.
• Analyzing plasma contamination effects based on the description of proton-contaminated alpha flux.
• Studying perihelion-specific particle observations based on the description of when the solar wind centroid is typically visible.
• Investigating instrument cadence performance based on the described 3.5-second and 1.7-second measurement modes.

Strengths

• Covers a defined energy range from 21.0 eV to 17.6 keV across 32 log-spaced energies.
• Provides multi-dimensional data across 8 deflector settings and 8 angles.
• Includes a high-cadence mode of about 1.7 seconds for observations around perihelion.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The description notes the alpha particle flux is contaminated by protons, which may affect purity for some analyses.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measured by the SPAN-Ion instrument on the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft.

Time Range

Temporal coverage is not explicitly stated, but data is associated with Parker Solar Probe mission periods.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03 13 07:57:43.004115; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Spatial coverage is the region around the Sun traversed by the Parker Solar Probe, excluding the heat shield's field-of-view obstruction.