Parker Solar Probe FIELDS DFB: DC Voltage Spectra in Sensor Coordinates

NASA's Parker Solar Probe FIELDS instrument provides calibrated power spectral density data from its Digital Fields Board (DFB). The Level 2 data includes DC-coupled differential voltage spectra from antennae in dipole mode, calibrated for instrument gain and filter responses, with time resolutions that can vary, typically around 30 seconds during solar encounters. Data is expressed in sensor coordinates and units of Volts²/Hz or nT²/Hz.

Use Cases

• Analyzing solar wind turbulence and wave modes based on calibrated power spectral densities.
• Studying the evolution of electric field spectra near the Sun based on high-gain, time-resolved measurements.
• Investigating instrument calibration effects on spectral slopes at high frequencies as noted in the description.
• Transforming magnetic field spectral data between sensor coordinate systems [d,e,f] and [u,v,w] for orbits 1-2 vs 3+.

Strengths

• Data is calibrated for multiple instrument responses including Hanning window, in-band gain, and analog/digital filters.
• Provides specific rotation matrices for converting magnetic field spectral coordinates between different solar orbits.
• Managed by the authoritative source NASA, as indicated in the organization field.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Corrections for plasma sheath impedance and antenna effective length are not applied in this Level 2 product.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

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 orbits 3+.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 05:48:12.208001; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Data collected in-situ by the spacecraft, primarily within 0.25 AU of the Sun during encounters.