PSP FIELDS DFB: Parker Solar Probe Low-Frequency Magnetic Field Spectra

Parker Solar Probe FIELDS instrument data provides calibrated power spectral densities of low-frequency (<75 kHz) magnetic and electric fields. Level 2 data products are expressed in sensor coordinates with units of nT²/Hz or V²/Hz, calibrated for instrument gain and filter responses. The dataset is produced by NASA and was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyzing solar wind turbulence spectra based on the reported power spectral densities.
• Studying low-frequency plasma wave modes based on the calibrated magnetic and electric field spectra.
• Investigating instrument calibration effects on spectral slopes based on the described digital filter compensation.
• Comparing magnetic field components across different solar orbits based on the [d,e,f] and [u,v,w] coordinate systems.

Strengths

• Data is calibrated for multiple instrument responses including Hanning window, in-band gain, and analog/digital filters.
• Spectral data is duty-cycled and averaged, providing a consistent measurement cadence described as one NYsecond.
• Produced by NASA, a highly authoritative source for space science data.

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 a non-physical positively sloped power trend at high frequencies due to digital filter compensation.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected by the FIELDS Digital Fields Board (DFB) search coil magnetometer on the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft.

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03 13 08:09:53.710801; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Space; measurements taken in the vicinity of the Sun by the Parker Solar Probe.