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Sciences and Exploration Directorate
Operational

MMS Fast Plasma Investigation (FPI)

The Fast Plasma Investigation (FPI) instrument is part of the SMART Hot Plasma instrument onboard the MMS satellite. It will provide 3D distributions of total ions and electrons independent of the spin rate.

Launch Date

2015

Class

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Website

The Fast Plasma Investigation (FPI) is an instrument comprised of a suite of components consisting of multiple Dual Electron Spectrometers (DES), Dual Ion Spectrometers (DIS) and Instrument Data Processing Units (IDPU). FPI is part of the Magnetosphere Multiscale Mission (MMS). This mission will study the fundamental processes operating in the thin boundary layers of the magnetosphere.

Related Publications

2025. "Statistical Study of the Solar Wind Current Sheet Properties: Defining Instrument Requirements for the Seven Sisters Mission Concept.", Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 130 (1): [10.1029/2024ja032610] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Equilibrium selection via current sheet relaxation and guide field amplification.", Nature Communications, 14 (1): 139 [10.1038/s41467-023-35821-9] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Electron-scale temperature gradients in kinetic equilibrium: MMS observations and Vlasov–Maxwell solutions.", Physics of Plasmas, 28 (12): 122902 [10.1063/5.0069559] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Evaluating the deHoffmann‐Teller Cross‐Shock Potential at Real Collisionless Shocks.", Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 126 (8): e2021JA029295 [10.1029/2021ja029295] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "Electron-scale dynamics of the diffusion region during symmetric magnetic reconnection in space.", Science, 362 (6421): 1391-1395 [10.1126/science.aat2998] [Journal Article/Letter]