ResourceName
DE 2 2s Retarding Potential Analyzer (RPA) Ion Plasma Parameters
AlternateName
Dynamics Explorer 2 RPA Ion Plasma
AlternateName
DE-B RPA Ion Plasma
DOI
https://doi.org/10.48322/41b3-kz41
ReleaseDate
2023-07-30 12:34:56.789
RevisionHistory
RevisionEvent
ReleaseDate
2021-04-27 15:38:11
Note
Only known prior ReleaseDate of the metadata
RevisionEvent
ReleaseDate
2023-07-30 12:34:56.789
Note
Added DOI and PublicationInfo minted by LFB, metadata versioned up to SPASE 2.6.0, reviewed by LFB 20230727
Description
This data set contains the following plasma parameters at 16ms resolution from the DE 2 Retarding Potential Analyzer: ion drift velocity, ion temperature, densities of all ions and of O+, H+, He+, molecular, and high mass ions. Data are available in ASCII from nssdcftp and in CDF format from CDAWeb (as well as CDAWeb plots and lists). The data span the 18-month DE 2 lifetime, except for a gap from 1981/317 to 1982/041.
Acknowledgement
Please acknowledge the RPA Principal Investigators, Drs. W.B. Hanson (original P.I.) and R.A. Heelis
PublicationInfo
Authors
Heelis, Roderick, A.; Hanson, William, B.; Candey, Robert, M.
PublicationDate
2023-01-01 00:00:00
PublishedBy
NASA Space Physics Data Facility
Contacts
InformationURL
Name
Readme file at SPDF
URL
InformationURL
Name
NSSDC's Master Catalog on the Retarding Potential Analyzer (RPA)
URL
Description
The Retarding Potential Analyzer (RPA) measured the bulk ion velocity in the direction of the spacecraft motion, the constituent ion concentrations, and the ion temperature along the satellite path. These parameters were derived from a least squares fit to the ion number flux vs energy curve obtained by sweeping or stepping the voltage applied to the internal retarding grids of the RPA. In addition, a separate wide aperture sensor, a duct sensor, was flown to measure the spectral characteristics of iregularities in the total ion concentration. The measured parameters obtained from this investigation were important to the understanding of mechanisms that influence the plasma; i.e., to understand the coupling between the solar wind and the earth's atmosphere. The measurements were made with a multigridded planar retarding potential analyzer very similar in concept and geometry to the instruments carried on the AE satellites. The retarding potential was variable in the range from approximately +32 to 0 volts. The details of this voltage trace, and whether it was continuous or stepped, depended on the operating mode of the instrument. Specific parameters deduced from these measurements were ion temperature; vehicle potential; ram component of the ion drift velocity; the ion and electron concentration irregularity spectrum; and the concentration of H+, He+, O+, and Fe+, and of molecular ions near perigee. Additional details are in W. B. Hanson et al., Space Sci. Instrum., v. 5, n. 4, p. 503, 1981.
PriorIDs
spase://VMO/NumericalData/DE2/VEFI/Ni.Vi.Ti/PT2S
spase://VSPO/NumericalData/DE2/RPA/PT2S
RepositoryID
Availability
Online
AccessRights
Open
AccessURL
Name
CDAWeb
URL
ProductKey
DE2_ION2S_RPA
Description
For CDAWeb subset, plot and list capabilities
Format
Text
AccessDirectoryTemplate
https://cdaweb.gsfc.nasa.gov/pub/data/de/de2/plasma_rpa/ion2s_cdaweb/$Y
AccessFilenameTemplate
de2_ion2s_rpa_$Y$m$d_$v.cdf
DataExtent
Quantity
100
Units
KB
Per
PT1H
Acknowledgement
Please acknowledge the RPA Principal Investigators, Drs. W.B. Hanson (original P.I.) and R.A. Heelis and the Space Physics Data Facility at NASA/GSFC
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