Dark Energy Survey Year 6 Results: Point-Spread Function Modeling

We present the point-spread function (PSF) modeling for weak lensing shear measurement using the full six years of the Dark Energy Survey (DES Y6) data. We review the PSF estimation procedure using the PIFF (PSFs In the Full FOV) software package and describe the key improvements made to PIFF and modeling diagnostics since the DES year three (Y3) analysis: (i) use of external Gaia and infrared photometry catalogs to ensure higher purity of the stellar sample used for model fitting, (ii) addition of color-dependent PSF modeling, the first for any weak lensing analysis, and (iii) inclusion of model diagnostics inspecting fourth-order moments, which can bias weak lensing measurements to a similar degree as second-order modeling errors. Through a comprehensive set of diagnostic tests, we demonstrate the improved accuracy of the Y6 models evident in significantly smaller systematic errors than those of the Y3 analysis, in which all <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <mml:mi>g</mml:mi> </mml:math> band data were excluded due to insufficiently accurate PSF models. For the Y6 weak lensing analysis, we include <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <mml:mi>g</mml:mi> </mml:math> band photometry data in addition to the <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>r</mml:mi> <mml:mi>i</mml:mi> <mml:mi>z</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> bands, providing a fourth band for photometric redshift estimation. Looking forward to the next generation of wide-field surveys, we describe several ongoing improvements to PIFF, which will be the default PSF modeling software for weak lensing analyses for the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time.

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Publication Details

Journal
The Open Journal of Astrophysics
Published
2025-03-12
DOI
https://doi.org/10.33232/001c.132299
Citations
5
Primary Topic
Astronomy and Astrophysical Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
9.53

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article

Dark Energy Survey Year 6 Results: Point-Spread Function Modeling

A. Pieres, O. Lahav, A. Ferté, E. Gaztanaga et al.
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The Open Journal of Astrophysics
Astronomy and Astrophysical Research
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Dark Energy Survey Year 6 Results: Point-Spread Function Modeling

A. Pieres, O. Lahav, A. Ferté, E. Gaztanaga, J. Muir, G. Giannini, L. N. da Costa, M. R. Becker, J. Carretero, A. Alarcon, A. A. Plazas, Gregory Tarlé, A. Amon, A. Porredon, J. Myles, S. R. Hinton, A. R. Walker, M. Jarvis, D Huterer, Theo Schutt, C. Chang, J. Odier, E. S. Rykoff, Scott Dodelson, A. Choi, S. Lee, M. Raveri, D. Sanchez Cid, F. Andrade-Oliveira, M. Rodriguez-Monroy, J. Mena-Fernández, E. Sheldon, A. Carnero Rosell, Y. Zhang, K. Bechtol, G. Gutierrez, D. Gruen, R. A. Gruendl, J. García-Bellido, M. Gatti, A. Drlica-Wagner, J. García-Bellido, R. L. C. Ogando, K. Herner, W.G Hartley, E. Krause, H. T. Diehl, C. Doux, M. Aguena, I. Sevilla-Noarbe, T. M. Davis, S. Samuroff, E. Sanchez, M. Yamamoto, N. Weaverdyck, M. E. S. Pereira, M. A. Troxel, P. Doel, J. L. Marshall, M. Soares-Santos, M. Crocce, M. Lima, T. M. C. Abbott, K. Kuehn, V. Vikram, K. Honscheid, D. Brooks, R. Miquel, Gary Bernstein, J. De Vicente, A. Roodman, M Smith, S. Desai
article en
5 citations

Abstract

We present the point-spread function (PSF) modeling for weak lensing shear measurement using the full six years of the Dark Energy Survey (DES Y6) data. We review the PSF estimation procedure using the PIFF (PSFs In the Full FOV) software package and describe the key improvements made to PIFF and modeling diagnostics since the DES year three (Y3) analysis: (i) use of external Gaia and infrared photometry catalogs to ensure higher purity of the stellar sample used for model fitting, (ii) addition of color-dependent PSF modeling, the first for any weak lensing analysis, and (iii) inclusion of model diagnostics inspecting fourth-order moments, which can bias weak lensing measurements to a similar degree as second-order modeling errors. Through a comprehensive set of diagnostic tests, we demonstrate the improved accuracy of the Y6 models evident in significantly smaller systematic errors than those of the Y3 analysis, in which all <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <mml:mi>g</mml:mi> </mml:math> band data were excluded due to insufficiently accurate PSF models. For the Y6 weak lensing analysis, we include <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <mml:mi>g</mml:mi> </mml:math> band photometry data in addition to the <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>r</mml:mi> <mml:mi>i</mml:mi> <mml:mi>z</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> bands, providing a fourth band for photometric redshift estimation. Looking forward to the next generation of wide-field surveys, we describe several ongoing improvements to PIFF, which will be the default PSF modeling software for weak lensing analyses for the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time.

The Open Journal of AstrophysicsVol. 8
Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ES), California Institute of Technology (US), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ES), Argonne National Laboratory (US), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (US), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (AU), University of Wisconsin System (US), Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (US), Universidad de La Laguna (ES), The University of Queensland (AU), Urbana University (US), Perimeter Institute (CA), University of California, Santa Cruz (US), Institute for High Energy Physics (ES), Princeton University (US), University of Michigan (US), Lowell Observatory (US), The Ohio State University at Lima (US), Valongo Observatory (BR), Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (ES), Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (US), Genoa (Brazil) (BR), Menlo School (US), Institut Català de Ciències del Clima (ES), Stanford Health Care (US), Michigan United (US), Astrobiology Center (JP), California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals (US), Unidades Centrales Científico-Técnicas (ES), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Genova (IT), Stanford Medicine (US), Laboratoire de Physique Subatomique et de Cosmologie (FR), Laboratório Interinstitucional de e-Astronomia (BR), Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (ES), State Library of Ohio (US), University College London (GB), University of Portsmouth (GB), Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IN), Ruhr University Bochum (DE), Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (NL), Stanford University (US), Brookhaven College (US)
National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, University of Pennsylvania, Ohio State University, University of Chicago, University of Portsmouth, University College London, University of Sussex, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, China Scholarship Council, Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos, Institut de Física d'Altes Energies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Office of Science, Science and Technology Facilities Council, High Energy Physics, Integrated Electronics Engineering Center, Binghamton University, Argonne National Laboratory, Fermilab, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
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