Data Description

The images show the Low-Latency (LL02) line-of-sight magnetic field (Blos) and the continuum intensity (Icnt) obtained by the Full Disk Telecope (FDT) of the Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager onboard Solar Orbiter (SO/PHI). LL02 data are produced from onboard-processed, spectropolarimetric reconstructions of the Stokes profiles sampled at 6 points in the 617.3nm Fe-I absorption line and the nearby continuum. LL02 are primarily produced as a support for Solar Orbiter's high-resolution observation campaigns. However, given their unique value for space weather predictions, they are now produced on a daily base, compatibly with spacecraft operations.

Data Limitations

The LL are of lower quality than the regular SO/PHI science data in a number of aspects. First, the LL02 are only roughly flat- and dark-corrected. This may result in an imperfect calibration, and residual artifacts. An example of such residual artifacts is a dust grain that is often not properly removed: this can be easily recognized as a black/white speck a few pixel wide in the continuum image that has no correspondent magnetic field concentration. Second, the inversion method that we use onboard for the LL02 data is a center-of-gravity method rather than the Milne-Eddington inversion that we use for science-grade data. Third, some of the methods to remove optical artifacts that are available in the on-ground processing pipeline are not yet available onboard (fringes, ghost, and cavity map corrections). Last, the LL02 are often downlinked at high compression rates for telemetry reason, which increases the noise with respect to regular science data.

Data Usage

LL02 data are not of scientific quality and are provided in good faith by the SO/PHI team for use only in making real-time space weather predictions. More information on regular, level2 (L2), released science-grade PHI data can be found at https://www.mps.mpg.de/solar-physics/solar-orbiter-phi/data-releases.

Additional Information

For additional information on the SO/PHI instruments (the Full disk Telescope and the High Resolution Telescope), the available data, references, and acknowledgement policy, please refer to the SO/PHI web page https://www.mps.mpg.de/solar-physics/solar-orbiter-phi. Please, address any question on SO/PHI observations to sophi_support@mps.mpg.de