A Global 7% Systemic Sensitivity Floor in Gaia DR3: Multi-Wavelength Validation using 2MASS, Pan-STARRS and the 0.75-Magnitude Offset
Abstract
This study performs a multi-wavelength astrometric and photometric examination of a high-confidence sample derived from a parent population of 2.36 million unique WDSS-seeded systems. By establishing an empirical polynomial ridge line for the broader Gaia-2MASS-Pan-STARRS subset, we calculated magnitude residuals to probe the systemic limits of the Gaia single-star model. Results reveal a distinct "Detection Gap" manifested as a tri-modal distribution: 14,705 stars were identified as overt Astrometric Discordance failures , while a significant subset of candidates exhibits signs of Astrometric Suppression -- where dual-flux profiles are absorbed into a stable single-star solution despite the physical presence of a companion. Crucially, while the raw failure rate reaches globally, we identify an asymptotic Intrinsic Binary Residual (IBR) of sources) that persists independently of stellar density. Utilizing a "Triple Constraint" framework -- astrometric noise (RUWE), photometric excess , and the absence of official Non-Single Star (NSS) classification -- we identify a Detection Gap subset within the Gaia-2MASS audit chain that is consistent with a population of "orphaned" binaries clustered near the theoretical -0.75 magnitude "Binary Ridge." This floor is interpreted here as an apparent global sensitivity limit in the Gaia pipeline, suggesting that local stellar mass density models -- which rely on single-star mass-to-light ratios -- may require a quantifiable correction to accurately reflect the local baryonic mass budget.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2605.00792,
title = {A Global 7% Systemic Sensitivity Floor in Gaia DR3: Multi-Wavelength Validation using 2MASS, Pan-STARRS and the 0.75-Magnitude Offset},
author = {Andrew Soon},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2605.00792},
year = {2026}
}