PSP FIELDS DFB: AC-coupled Differential Voltage Spectra from Parker Solar Probe

PSP FIELDS Digital Fields Board (DFB) data provides calibrated power spectral densities for AC-coupled differential voltage (V1-V2) in dipole mode from the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft. The Level 2 data products are calibrated for instrument gain, filter responses, and spectral bin bandwidth, with measurements expressed in sensor coordinates. Data is provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyzing low-frequency (<75 kHz) electromagnetic wave power spectra based on calibrated spectral densities.
• Studying solar wind plasma turbulence and wave-particle interactions based on differential voltage measurements.
• Modeling instrument response and calibration effects based on the detailed calibration steps described for Level 2 data.
• Comparing sensor coordinate systems for magnetic field data across different solar orbits based on the described [d,e,f] and [u,v,w] coordinate systems.

Strengths

• Data is calibrated for multiple instrument-specific factors including Hanning window, in-band gain, and analog/digital filter responses.
• Provides spectral data in pseudo-logarithmically spaced frequency bins with reported central frequencies.
• Includes metadata detailing the coordinate systems used for voltage and magnetic field sensor data across different mission phases.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Description notes that digital filter compensation can introduce a non-physical power trend at high frequencies in noisy signals, requiring careful analysis.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected by the FIELDS experiment's Digital Fields Board (DFB) on the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft.

Time Range

Covers solar orbits, with specific coordinate systems noted for orbits 1-2 and orbit 3+.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 08:14:17.702496; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Data collected in space by the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft.