PSP SWEAP SPC: Solar Wind Ion Charge Flux Distributions, 0.2185 s Data

Parker Solar Probe SWEAP SPC Level 2 Ion Data contains measurements of ion flux as a function of energy and time, organized into spectra. The dataset covers all periods the instrument was operational in solar wind ion mode, including spacecraft maneuvers. Data is provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyzing solar wind ion composition and dynamics based on energy-per-charge spectra.
• Studying instrument response and calibration effects on ion flux measurements.
• Investigating temporal variations in solar wind flow using high-resolution 0.2185-second data.
• Comparing data quality between 'Ion Full Scan' and 'Ion Peak Tracking' operating modes.
• Flagging and analyzing data anomalies, such as the energy ranging error noted for Encounter 2.

Strengths

• Data quality is described as 'very good' for Encounter 1, with solar wind flow within the optimal field of view for nearly the entire encounter.
• Includes specific data quality flags (e.g., MODE_FLAG, DQF) to identify spectrum types and known issues like the 'energy ranging/peak tracking error'.
• Covers all operational periods in solar wind ion mode, including maneuvers affecting spacecraft attitude.

Limitations

• During cruise phase, typically only one spectrum out of every 32 was transmitted to Earth, reducing data density.
• For Encounter 2, an erroneous operating mode setting resulted in ion full scan spectra with zero-width energy steps, rendering corresponding measurements as noise.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measured by the Solar Probe Cup (SPC) instrument on the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft.

Time Range

Covers periods when the instrument was turned on and taking data in solar wind ion mode.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 05:36:55.300549; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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