WIND SWE: Solar Wind Ion Distribution Functions, 92 s Spectra

Three-dimensional ion measurements from the WIND spacecraft's Solar Wind Experiment Faraday Cups. Spectra are built over approximately 92-second intervals, measuring ion charge flux across 31 energy-per-charge windows and 20 azimuth angles. The data is provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Use Cases

• Modeling solar wind ion energy spectra based on the 31 energy-per-charge windows.
• Analyzing ion flux directional dependence based on measurements at 20 azimuth angles.
• Studying temporal evolution of solar wind plasma based on 92-second interval spectra.
• Calibrating sensor models using the provided effective area as a function of incidence angle.

Strengths

• Provides three-dimensional ion measurements in the energy range 150 eV to 8 keV.
• Each full spectrum comprises 1240 data points per time interval.
• Includes sensor calibration data: effective area as a function of incidence angle.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect temporal bias inherent to the specific spacecraft mission.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measured by Faraday Cup sensors on the WIND spacecraft.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 13:23:43.060066; freshness should be verified.