Heliophysics

SAMPEX

212 tracked publications and 9,386 citations from 1993–2026. Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer. Launched 1992. Life-cycle cost: $128M in 2025 dollars. Active Mission Window November 1, 1992 to July 1, 2006: 129 publications, 13 top-10% credit.

In-Situ Probe · h-index 55 · 24 papers with 100+ citations · prime mission ended 1993

Lifetime

Scope Papers published from the first full month after science operations begin through 2 years after the mission ends. Citations are counted through the third calendar year after each paper appears. Methods Papers published from the first full month after science operations begin through 2 years after the prime mission ends. Citations are counted through the third calendar year after each paper appears. Methods Every tracked publication to date, with every citation to date. Methods

Key measures

Active Mission Window · papers November 1, 1992 to July 1, 2006
Tracked publicationsTracked publications: peer-reviewed research papers we found for the mission. The list may not be complete. Methods129
CitationsCitations received by the tracked publications in the selected scope. The two windowed scopes count each paper’s citations only within its citation window. Methods1,174
Mean citations per publicationMean citations: total citations divided by tracked publications in the selected scope. One blockbuster paper can lift it. Methods9.1
Median citations per publicationMedian citations: the middle paper’s citation count in the selected scope; half the papers have more, half fewer. A single blockbuster sways it less than the mean. Methods6
Uncited publicationsUncited publications: papers with no citations in the selected scope. Methods20 (16%)
Top-10% creditTop 10%: among the 10% most-cited papers from this division’s missions, ranked against papers published around the same time. A paper naming several missions is split evenly among the missions in this division that claim it, so counts can be fractional. Methods13 · 0.90% of division
Top-1% creditTop 1%: among the 1% most-cited papers from this division’s missions within the selected window. Not adjusted for publication year. A paper naming several missions is split evenly among the missions in this division that claim it, so counts can be fractional. Methods0 · 0% of division
Lifetime indices · every tracked publication to date, in any scope
h-indexh-index: the largest h such that h papers have at least h citations each. It only grows with time, so older missions score higher. Methods55
g-indexg-index: the largest g for which the g most-cited papers together hold at least g² citations. Like the h-index, but it lets the most-cited papers count for more. Methods89
m-index, as of October 4, 2026m-index: a mission’s h-index divided by the years since its first peer-reviewed paper. It falls every 1 January even when nothing else changes, so it belongs to the date shown; it also discounts the long operating life that larger missions paid for. Methods1.6
toritori (total research impact, from ADS): for every paper citing one of the mission’s papers, 1 divided by the citing paper’s reference count times the cited paper’s author count, summed, with self-citations removed. It favors citations from papers with short reference lists and from outside the mission’s own authors. Computed over the tracked citation graph, which can be slightly incomplete. Methods54
riqriq (research impact quotient): 1,000 times the square root of tori, divided by the years since the mission’s first paper. A rate, not a total, so it does not keep growing with age the way the h-index and tori do. Methods217

Tracked publications

  1. Outward radial diffusion driven by losses at magnetopause

    Shprits, Y. Y., 2006, JGRA

    335 citations

  2. Timescale for MeV electron microburst loss during geomagnetic storms

    Thorne, R. M., 2005, JGRA

    302 citations

  3. Relativistic electron acceleration and precipitation during resonant interactions with whistler-mode chorus

    Horne, R. B., 2003, GeoRL

    260 citations

  4. Multisatellite observations of the outer zone electron variation during the November 3-4, 1993, magnetic storm

    Li, Xinlin, 1997, JGR

    257 citations

  5. Slot region electron loss timescales due to plasmaspheric hiss and lightning-generated whistlers

    Meredith, Nigel P., 2007, JGRA

    242 citations

  6. Observations of relativistic electron microbursts in association with VLF chorus

    Lorentzen, K. R., 2001, JGR

    226 citations

  7. Energization of relativistic electrons in the presence of ULF power and MeV microbursts: Evidence for dual ULF and VLF acceleration

    O'Brien, T. P., 2003, JGRA

    226 citations

  8. Relativistic electron acceleration and decay time scales in the inner and outer radiation belts: SAMPEX

    Baker, D. N., 1994, GeoRL

    215 citations

  9. On the origin of relativistic electrons in the magnetosphere associated with some geomagnetic storms

    Rostoker, Gordon, 1998, GeoRL

    215 citations

  10. An overview of the Solar, Anomalous, and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer (SAMPEX) mission

    Baker, Daniel N., 1993, ITGRS

    208 citations

  11. Energy Spectra, Composition, and Other Properties of Ground-Level Events During Solar Cycle 23

    Mewaldt, R. A., 2012, SSRv

    174 citations

  12. Observation of two distinct, rapid loss mechanisms during the 20 November 2003 radiation belt dropout event

    Bortnik, J., 2006, JGRA

    169 citations

  13. Proton, helium, and electron spectra during the large solar particle events of October-November 2003

    Mewaldt, R. A., 2005, JGRA

    164 citations

  14. Relativistic electron loss timescales in the slot region

    Meredith, Nigel P., 2009, JGRA

    151 citations

  15. Long term measurements of radiation belts by SAMPEX and their variations

    Li, Xinlin, 2001, GeoRL

    146 citations

  16. Radiation Belt Environment model: Application to space weather nowcasting

    Fok, Mei-Ching, 2008, JGRA

    132 citations

  17. Coronal mass ejections, magnetic clouds, and relativistic magnetospheric electron events: ISTP

    Baker, D. N., 1998, JGR

    129 citations

  18. Space weather conditions and spacecraft anomalies in different orbits

    Iucci, N., 2005, SpWea

    118 citations

  19. Competing source and loss mechanisms due to wave-particle interactions in Earth's outer radiation belt during the 30 September to 3 October 2012 geomagnetic storm

    Turner, D. L., 2014, JGRA

    113 citations

  20. A strong CME-related magnetic cloud interaction with the Earth's Magnetosphere: ISTP observations of rapid relativistic electron acceleration on May 15, 1997

    Baker, D. N., 1998, GeoRL

    110 citations

How we found these papers

We searched NASA’s Astrophysics Data System (ADS) for peer-reviewed articles naming SAMPEX in the title, abstract or keywords; standard filters drop articles that are not peer-reviewed and magazine pieces. SciX is ADS’s current interface.

(((abs:SAMPEX AND abs:(particle OR particles OR electron OR electrons OR proton OR protons OR ion OR ions OR cosmic OR magnetosphere OR magnetospheric OR radiation OR spacecraft OR satellite OR precipitation OR solar)) OR =abs:"Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer")) AND property:refereed AND doctype:article AND pubdate:[1992-11 TO 2040-01] AND NOT bibstem:("A&R" OR "AIASJ" OR "AeAm" OR "AirSp" OR "AsNow" OR "AsUAI" OR "AvWST" OR "C&E" OR "C&T" OR "CAPJ" OR "E&S" OR "ENews" OR "IrAJ" OR "JCos" OR "JRASC" OR "LAstr" OR "MNSSA" OR "Met" OR "NewSc" OR "Orion" OR "PhT" OR "PhTea" OR "PhuZ" OR "PhyOJ" OR "PhyW" OR "PlR" OR "SciAm" OR "SpFl" OR "ZemVs")

Open in SciX

Removed after review (5)

  1. Near-Earth radiation environment including time variations and secondary radiation. Proceedings. Meetings F2.6 and F2.7 of COSPAR Scientific Commission F which was held during the Thirtieth COSPAR Scientific Assembly, Hamburg (Germany), 11 - 12 Jul 1994. Proceedings volume record listing session topics; its papers are indexed separately. Decision 🤖
  2. Radiation Belts: Models and Standards Book volume record with a jacket summary; its chapters are indexed separately. Decision 🤖
  3. Preface Editorial preface to a book volume; not a research paper. Decision 🤖
  4. The FIREBIRD-II CubeSat mission: Focused investigations of relativistic electron burst intensity, range, and dynamics Overview of the FIREBIRD-II CubeSat mission; mentions SAMPEX only for comparison. Decision 🤖
  5. The Energetic Particles: Acceleration, Composition, and Transport (EPACT) investigation on the WIND spacecraft Instrument description of the Wind EPACT investigation; a different mission. Decision 🤖