Wind SMS/STICS: Ion Angular Flux Maps in Magnetosphere

Wind STICS 30-minute Angular Flux Maps for selected ion species using triple and double coincidence measurements in the magnetosphere. The data likely contain 48 velocity vector components across sixteen azimuthal sectors and three elevation bins, derived from integrating velocity distribution functions over energy per charge. The instrument is a time-of-flight plasma mass spectrometer operated by NASA.

Use Cases

• Analyzing plasma flow direction based on 48 velocity vector components
• Studying ion composition differences between triple-coincidence (H+, He+, He2+, C5+, O+, O6+, Fe10+) and double-coincidence measurements
• Investigating suprathermal ion behavior in the magnetosphere based on energy per charge (E/Q) ranges from 6 to 200 keV/e

Strengths

• Data includes measurements for multiple ion species (e.g., H+, He+, He2+, C5+, O+, O6+, Fe10+)
• Triple-coincidence 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 Wind spacecraft's Suprathermal Ion Composition Spectrometer (STICS) instrument.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 13:19:29.784869; freshness should be verified

Geography

Magnetosphere