The wide-band plasma wave investigation

As part of the Cluster Wave Experiment Consortium (WEC), the Wide-Band (WED) Plasma Wave investigation is designed to provide high-resolution measurements of both electric and magnetic fields in selected frequency bands from 25 Hz to 577 kHz. Continuous waveforms are digitised and transmitted in either a 220 kbit s(-1) real-time mode or a 73 kbit s(-1) recorded mode. The real-time data are received directly by a NASA Deep-Space Network (DSN) receiving station, and the recorded data are stood in the spacecraft solid-state recorder for later playback. In both cases the waveforms are Fourier transformed on the ground to provide high-resolution frequency-time spectrograms. The WED measurements complement those of the other WEC instruments and also provide a unique new capability for performing very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) measurements.