Uniform Recalibration of Common Spectrophotometry Standard Stars onto the CALSPEC System using the SuperNova Integral Field Spectrograph

TL;DR

This paper presents a precise calibration of 32 standard stars onto the CALSPEC system using the SuperNova Integral Field Spectrograph, achieving high accuracy for cosmological measurements.

Contribution

It introduces a Bayesian hierarchical model for wavelength calibration and provides the most accurate spectrophotometric calibration with an integral-field spectrograph to date.

Findings

Median repeatability of 14 mmag per observation

Atmospheric transmission dispersion of 7 mmag

Calibration accuracy within 3 mmag of CALSPEC

Abstract

We calibrate spectrophotometric optical spectra of 32 stars commonly used as standard stars, referenced to 14 stars already on the HST-based CALSPEC flux system. Observations of CALSPEC and non-CALSPEC stars were obtained with the SuperNova Integral Field Spectrograph over the wavelength range 3300 A to 9400 A as calibration for the Nearby Supernova Factory cosmology experiment. In total, this analysis used 4289 standard-star spectra taken on photometric nights. As a modern cosmology analysis, all pre-submission methodological decisions were made with the flux scale and external comparison results blinded. The large number of spectra per star allows us to treat the wavelength-by-wavelength calibration for all nights simultaneously with a Bayesian hierarchical model, thereby enabling a consistent treatment of the Type Ia supernova cosmology analysis and the calibration on which it critically relies. We determine the typical per-observation repeatability (median 14 mmag for exposures >~ 5 s), the Maunakea atmospheric transmission distribution (median dispersion of 7 mmag with uncertainty 1 mmag), and the scatter internal to our CALSPEC reference stars (median of 8 mmag). We also check our standards against literature filter photometry, finding generally good agreement over the full 12-magnitude range. Overall, the mean of our system is calibrated to the mean of CALSPEC at the level of ~ 3 mmag. With our large number of observations, careful crosschecks, and 14 reference stars, our results are the best calibration yet achieved with an integral-field spectrograph, and among the best calibrated surveys.