PSP SWEAP SPC: Solar Wind Ion Density, Velocity, and Thermal Speed, 0.2185 s Data

PSP Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons (SWEAP) SPC Ion Number Density, Velocity, and Thermal Speed Moments and Fits, Level 3 (L3), 0.2185 s Data contains derived measurements of ion properties in the solar wind from NASA's Parker Solar Probe. The data includes density, temperature, and velocity determined by computing velocity moments and fitting a Maxwellian model to the primary ion peak. It corresponds one-to-one with spectra in the Level 2 ion data files and includes data quality flags and ephemeris information.

Use Cases

• Modeling solar wind acceleration and heating processes based on ion density and thermal speed measurements.
• Analyzing data quality and spacecraft maneuver impacts using the documented 32-element DQF flag array.
• Cross-referencing derived ion moments with raw spectra from the corresponding Level 2 data files.
• Studying variations in solar wind flow and signal-to-noise between encounter and cruise phases as described in the remarks.

Strengths

• Includes a detailed 32-element data quality flag (DQF) array for each measurement time, documenting specific conditions like spacecraft maneuvers.
• Data quality is described as 'very good' for the duration of Encounter 1, with solar wind flow within the optimal instrument field of view.
• Measurements are derived via two methods: direct computation of velocity moments and fitting with a Maxwellian model.

Limitations

• In Version 01, the solar wind alpha particle component is not measured, and corresponding variables are set to fill values.
• During the cruise phase, only one spectrum out of every 32 is typically transmitted to Earth, reducing data density.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Derived from in-situ measurements by the Solar Probe Cup (SPC) instrument on the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft.

Time Range

Covers multiple solar encounters and interplanetary cruise phases, as detailed in encounter-specific remarks.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03 07:46:49.614032; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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