Voyager 2 PLS: Uranus Ion Density Derived from Maxwellian Fits, 48-Second Summaries

Voyager 2 Plasma Science instrument data from the Uranus flyby, processed to provide total ion density derived by fitting measured spectra with up to three isotropic proton components. The dataset uses a 48-second sampling interval and flag values of 1.0E32 indicate where parameters could not be obtained using the standard analysis technique. It was produced by NASA and is described in publications from 1987.

Use Cases

• Modeling Uranus's magnetospheric plasma composition based on derived ion density.
• Analyzing temporal variations in plasma density during the Voyager 2 flyby based on the 48-second time tags.
• Assessing uncertainties in plasma parameters, which are noted as a factor of two in the charging region and less than 20% elsewhere.
• Investigating the potential contribution of a cold plasma component, which the description states could increase total ion density by at most a factor of two.

Strengths

• Data is derived from a primary NASA planetary science mission, Voyager 2.
• Processing methodology and uncertainty estimates are documented in referenced 1987 publications.
• Sampling parameter resolution is specified as 48.000000 seconds.

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 determination does not include possible plasma outside the PLS energy range (10 eV/Q to 5950 eV/Q).

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Derived from Voyager 2 Plasma Science (PLS) instrument measurements by fitting spectra with isotropic Maxwellian distributions.

Time Range

Covers the Voyager 2 Uranus flyby, with a specific charging region noted from 19:39 to 21:58 on Day 24.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 04:39:08.893709; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Uranus magnetosphere and surrounding space environment.