PSP FIELDS DFB: Parker Solar Probe Magnetometer Waveform Data

NASA's Parker Solar Probe FIELDS experiment provides calibrated time-series magnetic field and voltage measurements from the Digital Fields Board (DFB). The Level 2 data products are calibrated for in-band gain, analog/digital filter phase, and search coil preamplifier response, with measurements expressed in nanoTeslas and Volts. Data collection occurs during solar encounters within 0.25 AU, with a typical cadence of 256 samples per Nyquist second.

Use Cases

• Analyzing magnetic field fluctuations in the solar wind based on calibrated search coil magnetometer waveforms.
• Studying high-frequency plasma wave features up to 75 kHz using the DFB's continuous waveform data.
• Comparing calibrated sensor data in spacecraft coordinates (x,y,z) with data in original sensor coordinates (u,v,w).
• Investigating spectral slopes and noise characteristics at the highest frequencies, as noted in the calibration description.

Strengths

• Data is calibrated for multiple instrument responses including DFB in-band gain, analog filter gain/phase, and search coil preamplifier response.
• Provides specific measurement units (nanoTeslas for magnetic field, Volts for voltage) for quantitative analysis.
• References peer-reviewed publications (Fox et al. 2016, Bale et al. 2016, Malaspina et al. 2016) for experiment and instrument details.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Digital filter gain response calibration is not applied, which may affect spectral analysis at high frequencies as described.
• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

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

Data collection occurs during solar encounters when the spacecraft is within 0.25 AU of the Sun.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 05:48:35.225747; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Heliospheric measurements from the Parker Solar Probe's trajectory near the Sun.