Solar photospheric velocities measured in space: a comparison between SO/PHI-HRT and SDO/HMI
Pith reviewed 2026-05-18 03:16 UTC · model grok-4.3
The pith
Line-of-sight velocity signals from SO/PHI-HRT and SDO/HMI agree with slope 0.96 and 92% correlation after corrections.
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
Core claim
The data are aligned and remapped to allow a pixel-by-pixel comparison of the whole time series of 4 hours length. Temporal and spatial variations are considered for a direct combination of the measurements. The LoS velocity distributions are evaluated and a clear linear relation is found between the two instruments with a slope of 0.96 and a correlation of 92%. We find that the signals form at similar heights, with a separation of 7±14 km, which is larger than previous estimates. A close-up look at the penumbra of a sunspot and its Evershed flow is presented. We conclude that the signals inferred by SO/PHI-HRT and SDO/HMI show very good agreement and high correlation when instrumental and a
What carries the argument
Alignment and remapping of simultaneous observations to enable pixel-by-pixel comparison of the four-hour time series after accounting for large-scale velocities.
Load-bearing premise
That the alignment, remapping, and removal of large-scale velocities fully remove all geometric and instrumental differences so that any remaining discrepancy is due only to formation-height offset rather than residual calibration or solar-evolution effects during the 4-hour sequence.
What would settle it
Repeating the comparison with a different alignment or remapping procedure and finding a much lower correlation or larger height separation.
Figures
read the original abstract
The Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (SO/PHI) onboard Solar Orbiter is a spectropolarimeter scanning the Fe I line at 617.3 nm, providing data of the solar photosphere. The same line is sampled by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and many other on-ground instruments. In this paper, we aim at assessing the consistency between line-of-sight (LoS) velocity measurements from the two instruments. Reliable measurements of up and down flows from SO/PHI are crucial and unique when Solar Orbiter is facing the far side of the Sun. Also, a combination of measurements from two vantage points to study horizontal flows must rely on consistent observations. For this purpose, we compare the LoS velocity measured by SO/PHI's High Resolution Telescope (SO/PHI-HRT) and SDO/HMI on 29 March 2023, when Solar Orbiter was crossing the Sun-Earth line at a distance of 0.39 au from the Sun. Because such co-alignments are rare, this configuration offered an almost unique opportunity to directly compare data products from both telescopes. The data are aligned and remapped to allow a pixel-by-pixel comparison of the whole time series of 4 hours length. Temporal and spatial variations are considered for a direct combination of the measurements. The LoS velocity distributions are evaluated and a clear linear relation is found between the two instruments with a slope of 0.96 and a correlation of 92%. We find that the signals form at similar heights, with a separation of 7$\pm$14 km, which is larger than previous estimates. A close-up look at the penumbra of a sunspot and its Evershed flow is presented. We conclude that the signals inferred by SO/PHI-HRT and SDO/HMI show very good agreement and high correlation when instrumental effects and large-scale velocities on the Sun are properly accounted for.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The paper compares line-of-sight velocity measurements from SO/PHI-HRT on Solar Orbiter and SDO/HMI on 29 March 2023 during a rare Sun-Earth line crossing at 0.39 au. After aligning and remapping the 4-hour time series to a common grid and subtracting large-scale velocities, the authors report a linear relation (slope 0.96) with 92% correlation between the two instruments' Fe I 617.3 nm velocities. They infer a formation-height separation of 7±14 km and present a close-up analysis of penumbral Evershed flows, concluding that the signals agree well once instrumental effects and large-scale flows are accounted for.
Significance. If the results hold, the work supplies a direct empirical test of velocity consistency between two space-based spectropolarimeters sampling the same line from different heliocentric distances. This is valuable for multi-viewpoint studies, far-side observations, and stereoscopic flow analyses that combine SO/PHI and HMI data. The near-unity slope and high correlation, together with the quantified height offset, offer a practical benchmark for cross-calibration.
major comments (2)
- [Results section (height-inference paragraph)] Results section (height-inference paragraph): The claim that residual velocity differences arise solely from a 7±14 km formation-height offset assumes that alignment, remapping, and large-scale subtraction have eliminated all geometric, calibration, and evolutionary contributions. Over 4 hours, granulation and supergranulation evolve on shorter timescales, and the differing projection angles from 0.39 au versus 1 au can leave residuals at tens of m s⁻¹. The manuscript should supply the explicit functional form of the large-scale subtraction and report the post-subtraction rms velocity residuals in quiet-Sun regions to show they lie below the threshold that would bias the height difference within the stated uncertainty.
- [Methods section (data alignment and remapping)] Methods section (data alignment and remapping): The alignment and remapping procedure is described at a high level, but the cross-correlation metric used to quantify residual misalignment, the stray-light correction applied to each instrument, and the precise method by which the 7 km height separation is extracted from the velocity differences are not given in sufficient detail. These steps are load-bearing for the pixel-by-pixel comparison and the height attribution; without them the central claim cannot be fully verified from the text.
minor comments (2)
- [Abstract] Abstract: The statement that the derived height separation is 'larger than previous estimates' lacks citations or quantitative comparison; adding one sentence referencing the earlier values would improve context.
- [Figure captions] Figure captions: Captions for velocity maps and scatter plots should explicitly state the final spatial sampling after remapping and the exact temporal window used for each panel.
Simulated Author's Rebuttal
We thank the referee for their thorough review and valuable suggestions. Below we respond to each major comment. We will revise the manuscript to include the additional details requested, which will enhance the clarity and verifiability of our results.
read point-by-point responses
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Referee: [Results section (height-inference paragraph)] Results section (height-inference paragraph): The claim that residual velocity differences arise solely from a 7±14 km formation-height offset assumes that alignment, remapping, and large-scale subtraction have eliminated all geometric, calibration, and evolutionary contributions. Over 4 hours, granulation and supergranulation evolve on shorter timescales, and the differing projection angles from 0.39 au versus 1 au can leave residuals at tens of m s⁻¹. The manuscript should supply the explicit functional form of the large-scale subtraction and report the post-subtraction rms velocity residuals in quiet-Sun regions to show they lie below the threshold that would bias the height difference within the stated uncertainty.
Authors: We agree that the assumptions underlying the height inference require more explicit justification to rule out other contributions. In the revised manuscript we will provide the explicit functional form of the large-scale subtraction (a low-order polynomial fit to the remapped velocity fields after alignment) and report the post-subtraction rms velocity residuals measured in quiet-Sun regions. We will also add a short discussion of granulation evolution and projection-angle effects over the 4-hour interval, noting that the observed 92% correlation supports that any residuals remain below the level that would affect the reported height difference within its stated uncertainty. revision: yes
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Referee: [Methods section (data alignment and remapping)] Methods section (data alignment and remapping): The alignment and remapping procedure is described at a high level, but the cross-correlation metric used to quantify residual misalignment, the stray-light correction applied to each instrument, and the precise method by which the 7 km height separation is extracted from the velocity differences are not given in sufficient detail. These steps are load-bearing for the pixel-by-pixel comparison and the height attribution; without them the central claim cannot be fully verified from the text.
Authors: We acknowledge that the Methods section would benefit from greater specificity. In the revision we will expand the description to include the cross-correlation metric used to assess residual misalignment, the stray-light corrections applied to the SO/PHI-HRT and SDO/HMI data, and the precise procedure used to derive the 7±14 km formation-height separation from the aligned velocity differences. These additions will allow full verification of the pixel-by-pixel comparison and height attribution. revision: yes
Circularity Check
Direct observational comparison; height offset extracted from residuals but not circular by construction
full rationale
The paper performs a direct empirical comparison of line-of-sight velocities from SO/PHI-HRT and SDO/HMI after alignment, remapping to a common grid, and subtraction of large-scale flows over the 4-hour sequence. The reported slope of 0.96 and 92% correlation are straightforward statistical outputs from the pixel-by-pixel data matching. The formation-height separation of 7±14 km is derived as an interpretation of residual differences between the two datasets, but this does not reduce any claimed prediction or first-principles result to its own inputs by construction. No self-definitional steps, fitted parameters renamed as predictions, or load-bearing self-citations appear in the derivation chain. The analysis remains an observational matching exercise whose central claims are independently verifiable against the raw aligned time series.
Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger
free parameters (1)
- formation height separation
axioms (1)
- domain assumption After alignment and large-scale velocity removal, residual differences are dominated by formation-height offset rather than uncorrected instrumental or evolutionary effects.
Reference graph
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