BackForwardInstrument:  SWEAPI 

Instrument details
Acronym SWEAPI
Full name Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons Investigation
Purpose To count the most abundant particles in the solar wind: electrons, protons and helium ions; and measure their properties.
Short description Particle counters, and a special cup to catch some of the particles for direct analysis. Energy range: 3-30000 keV (electrons), 2-10000 keV (protons) and 80-400000 keV (alpha-particles)
Background Consolidated technique
Scanning Technique Sun pointing from a solar orbit
Resolution N/A (full disk)
Coverage / Cycle Full solar disk, nearly continuous
Mass Power Data Rate

 

Providing Agency NASA
Instrument Maturity Flown on an R&D satellite
Utilization Period: 2018 to 2025
Last update: 2021-12-16
Detailed characteristics
Satellites this instrument is flying on

Note: a red tag indicates satellites no longer operational, a green tag indicates operational satellites, a blue tag indicates future satellites

Instrument classification
  • Solar and space environment monitors
  • Energetic particle spectrometer
WIGOS Subcomponents
  • Subcomponent 2
  • Solar wind in situ plasma and energetic particles and magnetic field off the Earth-Sun line
  • Electron sensor [at solar orbit, ecliptic, L5]
  • Proton sensor [at solar orbit, ecliptic, L5]
  • Alpha-particle sensor [at solar orbit, ecliptic, L5]
  • Solar wind density sensor [at solar orbit, ecliptic, L5]
  • Solar wind temperature sensor [at solar orbit, ecliptic, L5]
  • Solar wind velocity sensor [at solar orbit, ecliptic, L5]
  • Subcomponent 3
  • Solar coronal magnetic field imagery, solar wind beyond L1
  • Electron sensor [from solar orbit, ecliptic, L5]
  • Proton sensor [from solar orbit, ecliptic, L5]
  • Alpha-particle sensor [from solar orbit, ecliptic, L5]
  • Solar wind density sensor [from solar orbit, ecliptic, L5]
  • Solar wind temperature sensor [from solar orbit, ecliptic, L5]
  • Solar wind velocity sensor [from solar orbit, ecliptic, L5]
Mission objectives
Primary mission objectives
  • Alpha particles differential directional flux
  • Electron differential directional flux
  • Proton differential directional flux
Evaluation of Measurements

The following list indicates which measurements can typically be retrieved from this category of instrument. To see a full Gap Analysis by Variable, click on the respective variable.

Note: table can be sorted by clicking on the column headers
Note: * Primary mission objective.
VariableRelevance for measuring this variableOperational limitationsExplanation
Electron differential directional flux*4 - fairNo specific limitation.Sun pointing, low, medium and high energy (up to over 400 keV)
Proton differential directional flux*4 - fairNo specific limitation.Sun pointing, low, medium and high energy (up to over 1000 keV)
Alpha particles differential directional flux*1 - primaryNo specific limitation.Sun-pointing. Low-medium energy range (<10 up to 100 MeV/n)
Solar wind density1 - primaryNo specific limitation.Solar viewing. Infrerred from Proton. Electron and Alpha-particle spectroscopy
Solar wind temperature1 - primaryNo specific limitation.Solar viewing. Infrerred from Proton. Electron and Alpha-particle spectroscopy
Solar wind velocity1 - primaryNo specific limitation.Solar viewing. Infrerred from Proton. Electron and Alpha-particle spectroscopy