Wind SMS/STICS: Solar Wind Alpha Particle Distribution and Flux, PT3M Data

32 energy per charge voltage steps are used by the SupraThermal Ion Composition Spectrometer (STICS) on the WIND spacecraft to measure ions from 6 keV/q to 200 keV/q. The instrument combines triple-coincidence measurements of E/Q, time-of-flight, and residual energy to produce full 3D velocity distribution functions with improved signal-to-noise ratio. This Level 2 dataset from NASA provides alpha particle distribution and differential flux data in 3-minute intervals.

Use Cases

• Modeling solar wind dynamics based on 3D velocity distribution functions
• Analyzing ion composition and energy spectra based on measurements from 6 keV/q to 200 keV/q
• Studying signal-to-noise improvements in particle detection based on the triple-coincidence technique
• Investigating directional particle fluxes based on the instrument's three telescopes and spacecraft spin

Strengths

• Data covers a wide energy per charge range from 6 keV/q to 200 keV/q
• Triple-coincidence measurement technique improves signal-to-noise ratio
• Instrument provides full 3D velocity distribution functions through multiple telescopes and spacecraft spin

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measured by the SupraThermal Ion Composition Spectrometer (STICS) instrument on the WIND spacecraft.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 13:20:20.470268; freshness should be verified