Wind SWE: Solar Wind Electron Moments Parameters (1994-2001)

Electron temperature, temperature anisotropy, and heat flux vector data derived from 3-second measurements spaced 6 or 12 seconds apart by the Wind spacecraft's SWE instrument between 1994 and 2001. The dataset, produced by NASA, includes vector quantities in GSE coordinates and is intended for scientific analysis with caution regarding interpretation. Parameters are normalized to derived electron density to reduce sensitivity to density uncertainty.

Use Cases

• Analyzing solar wind electron temperature and anisotropy based on the derived pressure tensor eigenvalues.
• Studying electron heat flux dynamics based on the provided heat flux vector and its relationship with the magnetic field direction.
• Investigating plasma physics phenomena based on the principal axis of the pressure tensor and its alignment with the magnetic field.
• Validating space weather models based on in-situ electron moment measurements from the Wind spacecraft.

Strengths

• Covers a 7-year time range from 1994 to 2001.
• Provides key plasma parameters like electron temperature, anisotropy, and heat flux vector derived from a known instrument (Wind/SWE VEIS).
• Data is normalized to electron density, reducing sensitivity to density determination uncertainty as noted in the description.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The principal investigator advises caution and discussion with the SWE science team before publishing interpretations.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Derived from velocity moments integration of solar wind electron distributions measured by the Wind/SWE VEIS instrument.

Time Range

1994-2001

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:43:35.061424; freshness should be verified.