LESIA Observatoire de Paris-PSL CNRS vopdc cdpp Sorbonne Université cnes Université de Paris

Cassini/RPWS/HFR LESIA/Kronos QTN Data Collection V1.0

Thursday 7 January 2021, by Baptiste Cecconi

This collection is composed of Cassini RPWS Quasi Thermal Noise (QTN) data set contains thermal plasma parameters derived by QTN spectroscopy analysis applied on data acquired with the High Frequency Receiver (HFR) during the perikrones of the entire mission.

This collection is part of the Cassini/RPWS/HFR LESIA/Kronos Collection(https://doi.org/10.25935/1SXH-AQ56).

Link to data repository

Description

The Cassini Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) Quasi Thermal Noise (QTN) data set contains thermal plasma parameters derived by QTN spectroscopy analysis applied on data acquired with the High Frequency Receiver (HFR) during the perikrones of the entire mission. This data set includes the total electron density and the core electron temperature, as well as the uncertainties on the measurements. It also includes ancillary data about the location of the spacecraft at the time of the measurement: distance to Saturn, local-time, kronographic latitude and dipolar L-Shell apex distance.

Data are presented in CDF files, which contain a 1D array depending on time for each parameter. This data set is intended to be the most comprehensive and complete data set for thermal plasma parameters measured by the HFR in the Cassini RPWS archive. A browse data set is included with these data which provides for a graphical search of the data using a series of thumbnail and full-sized plots which lead the user to the particular data file(s) of interest.

Content

This data set comprises spacecraft event time, radial distance (in Saturn Radii) from Saturn, latitude (in deg), local time (in hours) and L-shell (in Saturn Radii) of the spacecraft, total electron number density (in cm-3) with the measurement uncertainty, core electron temperature (in eV) with the measurement uncertainty and quality flag that were acquired by QTN analysis on RPWS/HFR Spectra.

Coverage and sampling

  • Time range: 2004 June 30th to 2012 April 15th.
  • Time resolution: 1 to 3 minutes.

Acknowledgements

The Cassini/RPWS QTN data collection has been produced by P. Schippers, M. Moncuquet & B. Cecconi, from the Observatoire de Paris/LESIA Cassini-RPWS team, with the support of CNRS and CNES.

Contact

Any other question or request should be addressed to contact.maser@obspm.fr

References

  • Cecconi, B., P. Zarka, L. Lamy, P. Schippers (2017). Cassini/RPWS/HFR LESIA/Kronos Collection (Version 1.0) [Data set]. PADC. https://doi.org/10.25935/1SXH-AQ56
  • Schippers, P, M Moncuquet, N Meyer-Vernet, and A lecacheux. 2013. “Core Electron Temperature and Density in the Innermost Saturn’s Magnetosphere From HF Power Spectra Analysis on Cassini.” Journal of Geophysical Research (Space Physics) 118 (11): 7170–80. https://doi.org/10.1002/2013JA019199