The non-uniform pattern in full-disc vector magnetograms and its correction

Abstract

The Solar Magnetism and Activity Telescope (SMAT) has been operational at Huairou Solar Observing Station since the end of 2005. Its scientific projects are the observational study of full-disc vector magnetic field and Hα chromospheric activities. In this paper, the Fourier low-frequency passing filter and the large-scale polynomials fit methods have been employed to analyse and remove the non-uniform pattern (NUP) in the full-disc Stokes V image. These methods are useful to effectively improve the quality of SMAT's data. The following main results have been obtained. (1) An intrinsic large-scale spatial distribution of NUP appears in SMAT's full-disc Stokes V image and its average amplitude accounts for 2 per cent of sunspots' field of kG. (2) NUP is testified as instrumental polarization through data reduction and observational explanation (passband shift). There are pseudo-passband shift in the wide field of view of SMAT due to NUP, and the maximum shifting value from the solar disc centre to the solar disc limb is 0.12 A. (3) As an example, after removing SMAT's NUP in the Stokes V image, the correlation coefficients of the magnetograms become 78 per cent between SMAT and MDI (Michelson Doppler Imager project) on the SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) satellite, and 92 per cent between SMAT and the SMFT (Solar Magnetic Field Telescope) at Huairou.