Voyager 2 Plasma Spectrometer Data: Density, Speed, Velocity

The Voyager 2 Plasma Spectrometer (PLS) recorded high-resolution plasma density, thermal speed, and velocity components in the RTN coordinate system. Data was gathered using two Faraday-cup detectors with energy scans ranging from 1.8% to 20% resolution. Sampling times ranged from 12 to 192 seconds, with more frequent sampling early in the mission.

Use Cases

• Modeling solar wind propagation based on plasma velocity components VR, VT, and VN.
• Analyzing plasma density variations over time based on the high-resolution Faraday cup measurements.
• Studying the transition from subsonic to supersonic plasma flow based on the three sequential energy scans.
• Calibrating plasma instrument models using the reported one sigma error estimates for speed, density, and thermal speed.

Strengths

• One sigma errors are typically less than 0.5% for speed and VR, and less than 5% for density and thermal speed.
• Three sequential energy scans with resolutions of 20%, 7.2%, and 1.8% allow coverage from subsonic to highly supersonic flow.
• Velocity components are provided in the standardized RTN (Radial-Tangential-Normal) coordinate system.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Sampling frequency decreased later in the mission, potentially affecting temporal resolution for later periods.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Data collected by the Voyager 2 spacecraft's Plasma Spectrometer (PLS) instrument using Faraday-cup detectors.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 04:12:43.695035; freshness should be verified.