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Image Quality of the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) Onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)

  • The Solar Dynamics Observatory
  • Open access
  • Published: 10 February 2011
  • Volume 275, pages 261–284, (2012)
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Image Quality of the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) Onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)
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  • R. Wachter1,
  • J. Schou1,
  • M. C. Rabello-Soares1,
  • J. W. Miles2,3,
  • T. L. Duvall Jr.4 &
  • …
  • R. I. Bush1 
  • 1093 Accesses

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Abstract

We describe the imaging quality of the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) as measured during the ground calibration of the instrument. We describe the calibration techniques and report our results for the final configuration of HMI. We present the distortion, modulation transfer function, stray light, image shifts introduced by moving parts of the instrument, best focus, field curvature, and the relative alignment of the two cameras. We investigate the gain and linearity of the cameras, and present the measured flat field.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA

    R. Wachter, J. Schou, M. C. Rabello-Soares & R. I. Bush

  2. Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA

    J. W. Miles

  3. SOFIA-USRA, NASA Ames Research Center MS N211-3, Moffett Field, CA, 94035, USA

    J. W. Miles

  4. Solar Physics Laboratory, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA

    T. L. Duvall Jr.

Authors
  1. R. Wachter
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  2. J. Schou
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  3. M. C. Rabello-Soares
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  4. J. W. Miles
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  5. T. L. Duvall Jr.
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  6. R. I. Bush
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to R. Wachter.

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The Solar Dynamics Observatory

Guest Editors: W. Dean Pesnell, Phillip C. Chamberlin, and Barbara J. Thompson

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Open Access This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0), which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.

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Wachter, R., Schou, J., Rabello-Soares, M.C. et al. Image Quality of the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) Onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Sol Phys 275, 261–284 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11207-011-9709-6

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  • Received: 16 March 2010

  • Accepted: 04 January 2011

  • Published: 10 February 2011

  • Issue Date: January 2012

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11207-011-9709-6

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Keywords

  • Helioseismology, observations
  • Instrumental effects
  • Solar Dynamics Observatory
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