J-PLUS: Toward a homogeneous photometric calibration using Gaia BP/RP low-resolution spectra

¹ Centro de Estudios de Física del Cosmos de Aragón (CEFCA), Unidad Asociada al CSIC, Plaza San Juan 1, 44001 Teruel, Spain
e-mail: clsj@cefca.es
² Department of Astronomy, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China
³ Institut de Ciències del Cosmos (ICCUB), Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
⁴ Departament de Física Quàntica i Astrofísica (FQA), Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
⁵ Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC), c. Gran Capità, 2-4, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
⁶ Centro de Estudios de Física del Cosmos de Aragón (CEFCA), Plaza San Juan 1, 44001 Teruel, Spain
⁷ Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
⁸ Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas, 05508-090 São Paulo, Brazil
⁹ Observatório Nacional – MCTI (ON), Rua Gal José Cristino, 77, São Cristóvão, 20921-400 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
¹⁰ Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA, Camino Bajo del Castillo s/n, Campus ESAC, 28692 Villanueva de la Cañada, Madrid, Spain
¹¹ Donostia International Physics Centre (DIPC), Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal 4, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
¹² IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
¹³ University of Michigan, Department of Astronomy, 1085 South University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
¹⁴ University of Alabama, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Gallalee Hall, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401, USA
¹⁵ Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), 38205 La Laguna, Spain
¹⁶ Departamento de Astrofísica, Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), 38200 La Laguna, Spain

Received: 28 January 2023
Accepted: 22 August 2023

Abstract

Aims. We present the photometric calibration of the 12 optical passbands for the Javalambre Photometric Local Universe Survey (J-PLUS) third data release (DR3) comprising 1642 pointings of two square degrees each.

Methods. We selected nearly 1.5 million main sequence stars with a signal-to-noise ratio larger than ten in the 12 J-PLUS passbands and available low-resolution (R = 20–80) spectrum from the blue and red photometers (BP/RP) in Gaia DR3. We compared the synthetic photometry from BP/RP spectra with the J-PLUS instrumental magnitudes after correcting for the magnitude and color terms between both systems in order to obtain a homogeneous photometric solution for J-PLUS. To circumvent the current limitations in the absolute calibration of the BP/RP spectra, the absolute color scale was derived using the locus of 109 white dwarfs closer than 100 pc with a negligible interstellar extinction. Finally, the absolute flux scale was anchored to the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) photometry in the r band.

Results. The precision of the J-PLUS photometric calibration estimated from duplicated objects observed in adjacent pointings and by comparison with the spectro-photometric standard star GD 153 is ~12 mmag in u, J0378, and J0395, and it is ~7 mmag in J0410, J0430, ɡ, J0515, r, J0660, i, J0861, and z. The estimated accuracy in the calibration along the surveyed area is better than 1% for all the passbands.

Conclusions. The Gaia BP/RP spectra provide a high-quality, homogeneous photometric reference in the optical range across the full sky in spite of their current limitations as an absolute reference. The calibration method for J-PLUS DR3 reaches an absolute precision and accuracy of 1% in the 12 optical filters within an area of 3284 square degrees.