Improving Solar Orbiter Images with Point-Spread Function Correction

The development of a point-spread function (PSF) for the Extreme Ultraviolet High-Resolution Imager (HRIEUV) onboard Solar Orbiter represents a significant advancement in solar image processing. The PSF provides a quantitative description of light diffracted and scattered by the instrument's components, allowing for the correction of instrumental scattered light. The analysis reveals that a substantial portion of the incoming light (57%) is redistributed over the detector by diffraction and scattering, highlighting the importance of PSF correction. Correcting for these effects markedly enhances the dynamic range and contrast of the observations, leading to a significant improvement in image quality. The intensity in bright structures intensifies by up to 40%, while the intensity in dark structures decreases by up to 85%. This improved image quality facilitates a more precise scientific analysis of HRIEUV observations, enabling researchers to gain new insights into solar phenomena. The development of this PSF demonstrates the importance of accounting for instrumental effects in space-based observations and provides a valuable tool for improving the quality of solar images.

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