Related papers: Accurate photometric calibration by fitting the sy…
We review the systematic uncertainties that have plagued attempts to obtain high precision and high accuracy from ground-based photometric measurements using CCDs. We identify two main challenges in breaking through the 1% precision…
Photometric calibration is currently the dominant source of systematic uncertainty in exploiting type Ia supernovae to determine the nature of the dark energy. We review our ongoing program to address this calibration challenge by…
This paper provides an overview of the PACS photometer flux calibration concept, in particular for the principal observation mode, the scan map. The absolute flux calibration is tied to the photospheric models of five fiducial stellar…
We propose a tunable laser-based satellite-mounted spectrophotometric and absolute flux calibration system, to be utilized by ground- and space-based telescopes. As spectrophotometric calibration may play a significant role in the accuracy…
Large ground-based telescopes equipped with adaptive optics (AO) systems have ushered in a new era of high-resolution infrared photometry and astrometry. Relative astrometric accuracies of <0.2 mas have already been demonstrated from…
A tool for representation of the one-dimensional astrometric signal of Gaia is described and investigated in terms of fit discrepancy and astrometric performance with respect to number of parameters required. The proposed basis function is…
We present the photometric calibration of the HST Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). We give here an overview of the performance and calibration of the 2 CCD cameras, the Wide Field Channel (WFC) and the High Resolution Channel (HRC), and a…
Motivated by the recognition that variation in the optical transmission of the atmosphere is probably the main limitation to the precision of ground-based CCD measurements of celestial fluxes, we review the physical processes that attenuate…
Low-resolution spectroscopy is a frequently used technique. Aperture prism spectroscopy in particular is an important tool for large-scale survey observations. The ongoing ESA space mission Gaia is the currently most relevant example. In…
Traditional color and airmass corrections can typically achieve ~0.02 mag precision in photometric observing conditions. A major limiting factor is the variability in atmospheric throughput, which changes on timescales of less than a night.…
The answers to fundamental science questions in astrophysics, ranging from the history of the expansion of the universe to the sizes of nearby stars, hinge on our ability to make precise measurements of diverse astronomical objects. As our…
Large, deep surveys must typically rely on multiband photometry rather than spectroscopy for determining the astrophysical properties (APs) of stars. Yet designing an optimal photometric system for a wide range of objects is complex,…
We present a flux calibration scheme for the PACS chopped point-source photometry observing mode based on the photometry of five stellar standard sources. This mode was used for science observations only early in the mission. Later, it was…
We have used a precision calibrated photodiode as the fundamental metrology reference in order to determine the relative throughput of the PanSTARRS telescope and the Gigapixel imager, from 400 nm to 1050 nm. Our technique uses a tunable…
We present Johnson-Kron-Cousins BVRI photometry of 228 candidate spectrophotometric standard stars for the external (absolute) flux calibration of Gaia data. The data were gathered as part of a ten-year observing campaign with the goal of…
We present a method for calibrating images acquired by the Dawn Framing Camera (FC) that is based on the results of an in-flight calibration campaign performed during the cruise from Earth to Vesta. We describe this campaign and the data…
Deeper understanding of the properties of dark energy via SNIa surveys, and to a large extent other methods as well, will require unprecedented photometric precision. Laboratory and solar photometry and radiometry regularly achieve…
All observations by the aperture photometer (PHT-P) and the far-infrared (FIR) camera section (PHT-C) of ISOPHOT included reference measurements against stable internal fine calibration sources (FCS) to correct for temporal drifts in…
The Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) on the Spitzer Space Telescope is absolutely calibrated by comparing photometry on a set of A stars near the north ecliptic pole to predictions based on ground-based observations and a stellar atmosphere…
The calibration hardware system of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) is designed to measure two quantities: a telescope's instrumental response and atmospheric transmission, both as a function of wavelength. First of all, a…