RPW Data Center
solo_L3_rpw-bia-density
solo_L3_rpw-bia-density is the plasma density derived from probe-to-spacecraft potential and electron plasma frequency, in turn, derived from solo_L2_rpw-lfr-surv-cwf-e data.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.57780/esa-3xcjd4w
| Type of data | Plasma density |
|---|---|
| Units | cm-3 |
| Sampling Frequency | 16 Hz, 256 Hz, 4096 Hz |
| Data format | CDF (3.9.0) |
| Granularity | 1 file per day |
Data organization
Table below gives the name, data type, units and description of the zVariables stored in the CDF file.
In the the “TYPE” column, the expected size (i.e., number of elements along each dimension) of the zVariable for a CDF record is given between bracket (e.g., “[1]”).
Non-record-variant zVariables are indicated by a “(NRV)” additional label in the “TYPE” column.
| NAME | TYPE | UNIT | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|---|
| Epoch | CDF_TIME_TT2000 [1] | ns | Epoch time of the record. Acquisition time of sample. |
| L3_QUALITY_BITMASK | CDF_UINT2 | Quality bitmask to indicate various quality-related conditions specific for L3 processing. | |
| DENSITY | CDF_FLOAT | cm-3 | Plasma density |
| QUALITY_FLAG | CDF_UINT1 | Numerical flag in the range 0-4 to indicate the quality of the data. Higher is better. | |
| QUALITY_BITMASK | CDF_UINT2 | Quality bitmask to indicate various quality-related conditions specific for L1 processing. The values are inherited from the parent data products. | |
| L2_QUALITY_BITMASK | CDF_UINT2 | Quality bitmask to indicate various quality-related conditions specific for L2 processing. The L3 data products inherit the values from the parent L2 data products. | |
| DELTA_PLUS_MINUS | CDF_INT8 | ns | Half the sample integration time. Half the bin size for downsampled data. |
Rules of use
Please read the text of the Rules_of_use global attribute in the CDF files.
See also in https://rpw-datacenter.obspm.fr/spip.php?article4.
Caveats and known issues
Table below gives the list of main known issues and the actions taken to mitigate them.
Please read the CAVEATS global attribute entries in the CDF files to be aware of the possible issues and limitations concerning data.
| ISSUE | MITIGATION(S) |
|---|---|
| Some density estimates are considered “lower quality”, but are still included. | zVariable L3_QUALITY_BITMASK contains information on whether density is considered “lower quality”. |
| RPW MY (3) electrical antenna signal was lost intermittently between November 13th and March 15th. Corresponding BIAS data were impacted. | None yet. Data products for the affected time interval are not yet available. Future data products will have a specific entry added for the global attribute CAVEATS and zVariable QUALITY_FLAG zVariable capped at 1 for impacted records. |
Release notes
See MODS global attribute in the CDF files for an history of the data modifications.
Authors
References
• The Solar Orbiter Radio and Plasma Waves (RPW) instrument, Maksimovic et al., A&A, 2020 (https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201936214)
• Metadata Definition for Solar Orbiter Science Data, Helen R. Middleton
• RPW Data Product Description Document (DPDD)
• NASA CDF Web portal
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