Astrometric Calibration of the Gemini NICI Planet-Finding Campaign

TL;DR

This paper details the astrometric calibration process for the Gemini NICI Campaign, achieving high-precision measurements essential for identifying exoplanet companions through proper motion analysis.

Contribution

It introduces a calibration method that corrects optical distortion and determines pixel scale and orientation, ensuring sub-7 mas accuracy across the NICI field.

Findings

Achieved astrometric accuracy of ≤7 mas across the NICI field.

Identified and corrected anomalies in existing data.

Provided calibration procedures meeting the 20 mas accuracy requirement.

Abstract

We describe the astrometric calibration of the Gemini NICI Planet-Finding Campaign. The Campaign requires a relative astrometric accuracy of $\approx$ 20 mas across multi-year timescales in order to distinguish true companions from background stars by verifying common proper motion and parallax with their parent stars. The calibration consists of a correction for instrumental optical image distortion, plus on-sky imaging of astrometric fields to determine the pixel scale and image orientation. We achieve an accuracy of $\lesssim 7$ mas between the center and edge of the 18$''$ NICI field, meeting the 20 mas requirement. Most of the Campaign data in the Gemini Science Archive are accurate to this level but we identify a number of anomalies and present methods to correct the errors.