Wind SMS/STICS: Solar Wind Ion Angular Flux Maps, 30-Minute Data

Wind STICS 30-minute Angular Flux Maps (AFMs) provide flow direction data for selected ion species in the solar wind. AFMs are derived from triple and double coincidence measurements for ions like H+, He+, He2+, C5+, O+, O6+, and Fe10+, divided into 48 velocity vector components across sixteen azimuthal sectors and three elevation bins. The data originates from the Wind spacecraft's Suprathermal Ion Composition Spectrometer instrument, managed by NASA.

Use Cases

• Analyze solar wind ion flow directions based on 48 velocity vector components
• Compare ion composition statistics between triple and double coincidence measurements
• Model suprathermal ion behavior in the 6-200 keV/e energy range
• Study plasma velocity distribution functions across a nearly 4π steradian viewing area

Strengths

• Data includes measurements for 7 specific ion species (H+, He+, He2+, C5+, O+, O6+, Fe10+)
• Angular Flux Maps provide 48 discrete velocity vector components
• Instrument uses a triple-coincidence technique to improve signal-to-noise ratio

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 13:18:55.615936; freshness should be verified

Geography

Solar wind