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Title: Comparing the Photometric Calibration of DESI Imaging and Gaia Synthetic Photometry

Journal Article · · Research Notes of the AAS

Abstract The relative photometric calibration errors in the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys (LS), which are used for DESI target selection, can leave imprints on the DESI target densities and bias the resulting cosmological measurements. We characterize the LS calibration systematics by comparing the LS stellar photometry with Gaia DR3 synthetic photometry. We find the stellar photometry of LS DR9 and Gaia has an rms difference of 4.7, 3.7, 4.4 mmag in DECam grz bands, respectively, when averaged over an angular scale of 27 . There are distinct spatial patterns in the photometric offset resembling the Gaia scan patterns (most notably in the synthesized g -band) which indicate systematics in the Gaia spectrophotometry, as well as honeycomb patterns due to LS calibration systematics. We also find large and smoothly varying photometric offsets at decl. < −29.°25  in LS DR9 which are fixed in DR10.

Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
1975410
Journal Information:
Research Notes of the AAS, Journal Name: Research Notes of the AAS Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 7; ISSN 2515-5172
Publisher:
American Astronomical SocietyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United Kingdom
Language:
English

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