Calibration of Standard Stars

The measurement of dark energy Ω(Λ) and its equation of state parameter 𝑤 plays a vital role in cosmology. The Hubble diagram of a Type Ia supernova (SNe-Ia) constrains these parameters. Supernova cosmology compares the light curves of SNe-Ia at different redshifts and filter bands. The accuracy of the above parameters depends on the accuracy of currently available spectrophotometric standards. This requires advances to improve the connection between current astrophysical flux standards and those established in laboratories. CALSPEC is a standard stellar network with an internal consistency of 0.5%, frequently validated with STIS at the Hubble Space Telescope. New instruments such as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory require flux calibration uncertainties of the order of 0.1%. SCALA aims to transfer the calibration of the NIST laboratory standard with uncertainties dominated by the NIST calibration uncertainties to CALSPEC. SCALA uses two sequential monochromators to simultaneously illuminate the SNIFS + telescope system and the calibrated photodiodes with traceable calibration for the range between 3000 Å to 10 000 Å. Twenty photosensors were calibrated, and SCALA was upgraded with the proposed improvements in June 2022. At the end of the upgrade, standard stars from the standard star network used by the Supernova Factory were observed for four nights between June 19 and 22, 2022. During the day, SNIFS was calibrated against the previously calibrated photosensors, allowing the calibration to be traced back to the NIST laboratory standard.It was shown that the calibration transfer from SCALA contributes in the order of 0.1% to the total uncertainty budget. An adjustment of the SNIFS analysis pipeline will allow comparison with CALSPEC with uncertainties less than 0.5%.