The Palomar Transient Factory Photometric Calibration
The Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) provides multiple epoch imaging for a large fraction of the celestial sphere. Here, we describe the photometric calibration of the PTF data products that allows the PTF magnitudes to be related to other magnitude systems. The calibration process utilizes Sloan Dig...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2012
|
| _version_ | 1797084140612354048 |
|---|---|
| author | Ofek, E Laher, R Law, N Surace, J Levitan, D Sesar, B Horesh, A Poznanski, D van Eyken, J Kulkarni, SR Nugent, P Zolkower, J Walters, R Sullivan, M Agueeros, M Bildsten, L Bloom, J Cenko, S Gal-Yam, A Grillmair, C Helou, G Kasliwal, M Quimby, R |
| author_facet | Ofek, E Laher, R Law, N Surace, J Levitan, D Sesar, B Horesh, A Poznanski, D van Eyken, J Kulkarni, SR Nugent, P Zolkower, J Walters, R Sullivan, M Agueeros, M Bildsten, L Bloom, J Cenko, S Gal-Yam, A Grillmair, C Helou, G Kasliwal, M Quimby, R |
| author_sort | Ofek, E |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | The Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) provides multiple epoch imaging for a large fraction of the celestial sphere. Here, we describe the photometric calibration of the PTF data products that allows the PTF magnitudes to be related to other magnitude systems. The calibration process utilizes Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) r ∼ 16 mag point-source objects as photometric standards. During photometric conditions, this allows us to solve for the extinction coefficients and color terms and to estimate the camera illumination correction. This also enables the calibration of fields that are outside the SDSS footprint. We test the precision and repeatability of the PTF photometric calibration. Given that PTF is observing in a single filter each night, we define a PTF calibrated magnitude system for the R band and g band. We show that, in this system, ≈59% (47%) of the photometrically calibrated PTF R-band (g-band) data achieve a photometric precision of 0.02-0.04 mag and have color terms and extinction coefficients that are close to their average values. Given the objects' color, the PTF magnitude system can be converted to other systems. Moreover, a night-by-night comparison of the calibrated magnitudes of individual stars observed on multiple nights shows that they are consistent to a level of ≈0:02 mag. Most of the data that were taken under nonphotometric conditions can be calibrated relative to other epochs of the same sky footprint obtained during photometric conditions. We provide a concise guide describing how to use the PTF photometriccalibration data products, as well as the transformations between the PTF magnitude system and the SDSS and Johnson-Cousins systems. © 2012. The Astronomical Society of the Pacific. All rights reserved. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T01:51:11Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:9a2364f2-842b-44b7-a84b-3e644707f32b |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T01:51:11Z |
| publishDate | 2012 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:9a2364f2-842b-44b7-a84b-3e644707f32b2022-03-27T00:19:23ZThe Palomar Transient Factory Photometric CalibrationJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:9a2364f2-842b-44b7-a84b-3e644707f32bEnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2012Ofek, ELaher, RLaw, NSurace, JLevitan, DSesar, BHoresh, APoznanski, Dvan Eyken, JKulkarni, SRNugent, PZolkower, JWalters, RSullivan, MAgueeros, MBildsten, LBloom, JCenko, SGal-Yam, AGrillmair, CHelou, GKasliwal, MQuimby, RThe Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) provides multiple epoch imaging for a large fraction of the celestial sphere. Here, we describe the photometric calibration of the PTF data products that allows the PTF magnitudes to be related to other magnitude systems. The calibration process utilizes Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) r ∼ 16 mag point-source objects as photometric standards. During photometric conditions, this allows us to solve for the extinction coefficients and color terms and to estimate the camera illumination correction. This also enables the calibration of fields that are outside the SDSS footprint. We test the precision and repeatability of the PTF photometric calibration. Given that PTF is observing in a single filter each night, we define a PTF calibrated magnitude system for the R band and g band. We show that, in this system, ≈59% (47%) of the photometrically calibrated PTF R-band (g-band) data achieve a photometric precision of 0.02-0.04 mag and have color terms and extinction coefficients that are close to their average values. Given the objects' color, the PTF magnitude system can be converted to other systems. Moreover, a night-by-night comparison of the calibrated magnitudes of individual stars observed on multiple nights shows that they are consistent to a level of ≈0:02 mag. Most of the data that were taken under nonphotometric conditions can be calibrated relative to other epochs of the same sky footprint obtained during photometric conditions. We provide a concise guide describing how to use the PTF photometriccalibration data products, as well as the transformations between the PTF magnitude system and the SDSS and Johnson-Cousins systems. © 2012. The Astronomical Society of the Pacific. All rights reserved. |
| spellingShingle | Ofek, E Laher, R Law, N Surace, J Levitan, D Sesar, B Horesh, A Poznanski, D van Eyken, J Kulkarni, SR Nugent, P Zolkower, J Walters, R Sullivan, M Agueeros, M Bildsten, L Bloom, J Cenko, S Gal-Yam, A Grillmair, C Helou, G Kasliwal, M Quimby, R The Palomar Transient Factory Photometric Calibration |
| title | The Palomar Transient Factory Photometric Calibration |
| title_full | The Palomar Transient Factory Photometric Calibration |
| title_fullStr | The Palomar Transient Factory Photometric Calibration |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Palomar Transient Factory Photometric Calibration |
| title_short | The Palomar Transient Factory Photometric Calibration |
| title_sort | palomar transient factory photometric calibration |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ofeke thepalomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT laherr thepalomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT lawn thepalomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT suracej thepalomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT levitand thepalomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT sesarb thepalomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT horesha thepalomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT poznanskid thepalomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT vaneykenj thepalomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT kulkarnisr thepalomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT nugentp thepalomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT zolkowerj thepalomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT waltersr thepalomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT sullivanm thepalomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT agueerosm thepalomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT bildstenl thepalomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT bloomj thepalomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT cenkos thepalomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT galyama thepalomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT grillmairc thepalomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT heloug thepalomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT kasliwalm thepalomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT quimbyr thepalomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT ofeke palomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT laherr palomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT lawn palomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT suracej palomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT levitand palomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT sesarb palomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT horesha palomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT poznanskid palomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT vaneykenj palomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT kulkarnisr palomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT nugentp palomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT zolkowerj palomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT waltersr palomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT sullivanm palomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT agueerosm palomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT bildstenl palomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT bloomj palomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT cenkos palomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT galyama palomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT grillmairc palomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT heloug palomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT kasliwalm palomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration AT quimbyr palomartransientfactoryphotometriccalibration |