An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know v
Official websites use .gov
A .gov websites belongs to an official government organization in the United States
Secure .gov website use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Data Access
RPI Plasmagram Browser
IMAGE radio plasma imager (RPI) Plasmagram Plots
var authors='Reinisch, Bodo W.';
document.write(authors);
(2025).
IMAGE radio plasma imager (RPI) Plasmagram Plots.
[Data set].
University of Massachusetts Lowell.
https://doi.org/10.48322/j6z1-cf25. Accessed on document.write(currentDateStr);.
Note: Proper references, including
Copy BibTeX Citation
or other formats, should include the "Accessed on date" to identify the version of the resource being cited in a given publication.
ResourceID
spase://NASA/DisplayData/IMAGE/RPI/PGM/PT5M
Description
Collection of RPI Plasmagram images at University of Massachusetts Lowell, covering complete mission period from 2000-04-21 to 2005-12-18. Access to images is arranged via a webpage containing a query form with the time period of interest and options for search of expert-annotated plasmagrams. The query returns a list of qualifying plasmagrams with URLs pointing to images. RPI plasmagrams are visualized by plotting images in which received signal strength (color scale) is a function of echo delay (range in vertical scale) and radio-sounder frequency (horizontal scale) of the sounder pulses. Echoes that can be used to derive remote, long-range, magnetospheric electron-density profiles, appear as discrete traces on plasmagrams. These plasmagram traces are intermixed with vertical signatures with greater intensity at shorter ranges, corresponding to locally excited plasma resonances, and other vertical signatures that cover the entire listening period, i.e., the entire virtual-range scale, corresponding to various natural and/or man-made emissions propagating in space and/or local interference.
Metadata Rights
CC0-1.0:
Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal
Note
CC0 1.0 Universal is the Creative Commons license applicable to all publicly available SPASE metadata descriptions. The actual data/software may be subject to a different license.
View XML |
Edit
Details
Version:2.7.1
DisplayData
ResourceID
spase://NASA/DisplayData/IMAGE/RPI/PGM/PT5M
NamingAuthority
NASA
ResourceType
DisplayData
ResourceHeader
ResourceName
IMAGE radio plasma imager (RPI) Plasmagram Plots
DOI
https://doi.org/10.48322/j6z1-cf25
ReleaseDate
2026-02-26 20:49:07Z
RevisionHistory
RevisionEvent
ReleaseDate
2020-07-07 19:48:34Z
Note
Only known prior ReleaseDate of the metadata
RevisionEvent
ReleaseDate
2025-11-14 16:17:37Z
Note
Added PublicationInfo. Added ResourceType and NamingAuthority. Changed http to https in top-level schemaLocation attribute. Fixed version number separator in top-level schemaLocation attribute. Matched version number in schemaLocation attribute to updated value in Version tag. ZCB
RevisionEvent
ReleaseDate
2025-12-04 13:27:59Z
Note
Added MetadataRightsList. Updated to 2.7.1. ZCB
RevisionEvent
ReleaseDate
2026-02-26 20:49:07Z
Note
Added DOI. tlk
Description
Collection of RPI Plasmagram images at University of Massachusetts Lowell, covering complete mission period from 2000-04-21 to 2005-12-18. Access to images is arranged via a webpage containing a query form with the time period of interest and options for search of expert-annotated plasmagrams. The query returns a list of qualifying plasmagrams with URLs pointing to images. RPI plasmagrams are visualized by plotting images in which received signal strength (color scale) is a function of echo delay (range in vertical scale) and radio-sounder frequency (horizontal scale) of the sounder pulses. Echoes that can be used to derive remote, long-range, magnetospheric electron-density profiles, appear as discrete traces on plasmagrams. These plasmagram traces are intermixed with vertical signatures with greater intensity at shorter ranges, corresponding to locally excited plasma resonances, and other vertical signatures that cover the entire listening period, i.e., the entire virtual-range scale, corresponding to various natural and/or man-made emissions propagating in space and/or local interference.
Acknowledgement
Users please acknowledge B. W. Reinisch of the University of Massachusetts Lowell for making these plasmagram images available.
PublicationInfo
Authors
Reinisch, Bodo W.
PublicationDate
2025-11-14 16:17:37Z
PublishedBy
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Contacts
Role
Person
StartDate
StopDate
Note
1.
PrincipalInvestigator
spase://SMWG/Person/Bodo.W.Reinisch
2.
DataProducerTechnicalContact
spase://SMWG/Person/Ivan.A.Galkin
InformationURL
Name
IMAGE RPI Instrument Page
URL
https://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/rpi/
Description
IMAGE RPI Instrument page maintained by NASA GSFC with RPI facts, description, team, data, documents, discoveries, and related links sections
Language
en
InformationURL
Name
IMAGE RPI Instrument Page at UML
URL
https://ulcar.uml.edu/rpi.html
Description
IMAGE RPI Instrument page maintained by University of Massachusetts Lowell with RPI description, team, software downloads, software user guides, access to CORPRAL automated prospecting results, mission planning tools and commanding guide, data model descriptions for Level 0 and 1, sonification files of 2003 Halloween storm, and useful links
Language
en
Association
AssociationID
spase://NASA/NumericalData/IMAGE/RPI/PGM/CCSDS/PT5M
AssociationType
DerivedFrom
PriorIDs
spase://VWO/DisplayData/IMAGE/RPI/IMAGE_RPI_PNG_PGM_PT5M
spase://VWO/DisplayData/IMAGE/RPI/PGM.PT5M
spase://VSPO/DisplayData/IMAGE/RPI/PGM/PT5M
AccessInformation
RepositoryID
spase://SMWG/Repository/UML/RPI
Availability
Online
AccessRights
Open
AccessURL
Name
RPI Plasmagram Browser
URL
http://giro.uml.edu/rpi/plsearch.php
Description
Repository of RPI plasmagram images at University of Massachusetts Lowell, containing web query form to retrieve individual images.
Language
en
Format
PNG
Encoding
None
DataExtent
Quantity
70000
Units
byte
Per
PT5M
Acknowledgement
Users please acknowledge B. W. Reinisch of the University of Massachusetts Lowell for making these dynamic spectrograms available.
ProcessingLevel
Calibrated
ProviderProcessingLevel
Level 1, calibrated data in physical units. Spacecraft MET to UT is converted using history of IMAGE observatory clock drift. All images produced by ShowPlasmagram tool from raw telemetry data.
InstrumentIDs
spase://SMWG/Instrument/IMAGE/RPI
MeasurementType
Waves.Active
TemporalDescription
TimeSpan
StartDate
2000-04-21 20:24:42Z
StopDate
2005-12-18 07:50:00Z
Note
Cadence of plasmagram measurements is variable depending on the science objective and RPI operating schedule design
Cadence
PT5M
Exposure
PT1M
SpectralRange
RadioFrequency
DisplayCadence
PT5M
ObservedRegion
Earth.Magnetosphere
ObservedRegion
Earth.NearSurface.Plasmasphere
ObservedRegion
Earth.NearSurface.AuroralRegion
ObservedRegion
Earth.NearSurface.PolarCap
ObservedRegion
Heliosphere.Inner
Caveats
Less than 20% of all plasmagrams contain signatures of remote reflections that can be used to derive remote electron-density profiles. The RPI instrument is, in a sense, a radar of opportunity: for its 10 Watt signal to reflect at a remote location as far as 40,000 km away, return to the spacecraft location, and appear above the noise level to be detected, a number of conditions needs to be satisfied. When they are satisfied, a great deal can be deduce about the intervening magnetospheric plasma. Plasmagrams that do not produce such echoes often produce stimulated plasma phenomena containing a wealth of information about local plasma conditions. Such plasmagram data exploration, however, often requires a substantial manual labor expense.
Keywords
Plasmagram
Echo
Trace
Field-Aligned Propagation
Ducted Echo
Epsilon
Discrete Echo
Diffuse Echo
Plasma Resonance
Proton Echo
Proton Spur
Ion Spur
Parameter #1
Name
Signal Strength
Description
Received signal strength, expressed as AC Electric Field in units of dB(nV/m). Plotted values are obtained as ratio of antenna voltage in [nV] over effective antenna length in [m], expressed for a better visualization in the logarithmic scale as [dB relative to 1 nV/m].
Cadence
PT5M
Units
dB(nVm)
Wave
WaveType
PlasmaWaves
Qualifier
Magnitude
Qualifier
Pseudo
WaveQuantity
ACElectricField
FrequencyRange
SpectralRange
RadioFrequency
Low
3
High
3000
Units
kHz