Release notes for PSP/FIELDS data release 7

PSP/FIELDS data release 7 includes data from PSP Encounter 6 (September 2020). All data up to and including December 2020 are now publicly available. For this data release, all DFB cross spectra have been reprocessed (with a new version number), and a subset of MAG data has also been reprocessed (with a new version number).

DFB cross spectra

DFB cross spectra have been reprocessed for the entire mission, with a version number incremented from v01 to v02. This reprocessing corrects a sign error in the imaginary part of the cross spectra, which affected the lower frequencies. Details on this correction:

  • For the AC cross spectra, the frequencies with corrected sign are those < 37.5 kHz.
  • For the DC cross spectra the frequencies with corrected sign are those < 2343.75 Hz.
  • For one frequency bin in both the AC and DC cross spectra, the sign correction is not possible, and this bin has been set to NaN.
  • The variables containing power spectra, and the real part of the cross spectra, are unaffected.
  • The coherence variables are unaffected as well, except for the one frequency bin where the imaginary component was set to NaN. The coherence is set to NaN for this bin as well.
  • The phase variables change sign where the imaginary components change sign, and are set to NaN for the one bin where the imaginary component is set to NaN.

MAG data

Newly public MAG data products (starting on 2021 October 20) were created with a new version number (v02). Version 2 of MAG data includes:

  • A more accurate spacecraft attitude calculation, used to transform from spacecraft coordinates to RTN coordinates. This correction only affects observations made while the spacecraft is performing a maneuver (such as the FIELDS MAG rolls). 
  • Improved compensation for onboard downsampling filter, for times when the full cadence of the MAG data is lower than the maximum cadence of 293 Sa/sec.
  • Improved determination of magnetometer offsets.

The FIELDS team is current working on reprocessing MAG data products prior to 2021 October 20 to v02. When the full mission reprocessing is complete, additional details on the new version of MAG data will be available here.