Calibration Techniques in Plasma Research

The plasma state occurs in low density and/or high temperature environments, from controlled conditions in the lab to filling the vast majority of space. A variety of instruments are deployed to measure properties which can include temperature, density, magnetic field, electric field, electric current, ionization, composition, velocity, and radiation. A variety of tools and processes are used to obtain these measures with the instruments. While some of these tools have calibration standards, new uses challenge how observations are collected and processed. Scientific investigations both rely on the current calibration techniques and guide the demand for new approaches. The articles in this Research Topic will explore both current and new calibration techniques in plasma studies.

The purpose of this thematic collection is to discuss calibration techniques for new/current tools and new/current circumstances. "New" specifically means no standardized document currently exists, a circumstance describing many observations collected in plasma research. "Current" calibration techniques means that a standardized document does currently exist, and the author(s) would like to review its effectiveness. Calibration exists at many levels from flagging noise-dominated data points to the elimination of system bias. Of particular importance is estimating error and sources of noise; one researcher's noise is another's data. Ultimately the articles collected in this Research Topic are intended to answer, "How do you quality-control your data?"

Calibration Techniques in Plasma Investigations is calling on authors to submit:

(a) Summary reviews of their published, less known, calibration reports
(b) new articles on their calibration techniques
(c) papers explaining calibration techniques that need to be developed are also welcome.

It is essential that these articles must include a section on the scientific inquiry enabled with the processed data, NOT experimental results from using the calibrated data. Due to the complicated nature of calibration, reviewers need to be provided with sample data from each step in processing.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: plasma, calibration, solar wind, laboratory plasma, fire science, radio science, langmuir probe, faraday cups, remote sensing, electrodes, forbidden lines, electromagnetic radiation, imaging, ultraviolet, infrared, x-ray

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.