Voyager 2 Plasma Spectrometer High Resolution Plasma Data

Voyager 2 high-resolution plasma data contains density, thermal speed, and velocity components in RTN coordinates. The data was produced by NASA by fitting a convected isotropic Maxwellian distribution to spectrometer readings. Sampling times range from 12 to 192 seconds, with more frequent sampling early in the mission.

Use Cases

• Model solar wind dynamics based on plasma density and thermal speed measurements.
• Analyze spacecraft trajectory and velocity vector changes based on RTN coordinate velocity components.
• Study plasma parameter reliability trends over time, noting warnings about V_t and V_n after 1989.
• Validate plasma distribution models using the convected isotropic Maxwellian fitting method described.

Strengths

• One sigma errors are typically less than 0.5% in speed and VR.
• Sampling times range from 12 to 192 seconds, providing high temporal resolution.
• Velocity components are provided in the RTN coordinate system, a standard for heliospheric studies.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The V_t and V_n parameters are often not reliable after 1989, as noted in the description.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Parameters obtained by fitting a convected isotropic Maxwellian distribution to Voyager 2 Plasma Spectrometer (PLS) data.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 04:08:54.881389; freshness should be verified.