snd_2004_2017.txt

This list provides times during which the RPWS sounder is active.  The
sounder transmits a short signal via the RPWS antennas, sweeping in
frequency, for the purposes of exciting resonances in the plasma.  After an
active transmission, the receiver listens for these resonances, which can
then be used to determine the electron density, for example, but looking for
the upper hybrid resonance frequency in the excited spectrum.

This listing may be important for interpreting Cassini science data since it
is a deliberate form of electromagnetic signal that may interfere with other
science observations.  As of this time, we have only heard that the sounder
pulses can be detected by the Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA), which must be
filtered from the CDA data so as to not misinterpret a sounder pulse as a
dust detection.

The list consists of the times marking the beginning of a sounder
observation, which may have a duration up to 15.5 seconds.