Wavelength Dependence of the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) Instrument onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)

Abstract

The Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) instrument will produce Doppler-velocity and vector-magnetic-field maps of the solar surface, whose accuracy is dependent on a thorough knowledge of the transmission profiles of the components of the HMI optical-filter system. Here we present a series of wavelength-dependence calibration tests, performed on the instrument from 2005 onwards, to obtain these profiles. We obtained the transmittances as a function of wavelength for the tunable and non-tunable filter elements, as well as the variation of these transmittances with temperature and the angle of incidence of rays of light. We also established the presence of fringe patterns produced by interferences inside the blocking filter and the front window, as well as a change in transmitted intensity with the tuning position. This thorough characterization of the HMI-filter system confirmed the very high quality of the instrument, and showed that its properties are well within the required specifications to produce superior data with high spatial and temporal resolution.