The Hyper Suprime-Cam extended point spread functions and applications
Abstract
We present extended point spread function (PSF) models for the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program Public Data Release 3 (HSC-SSP PDR3) in all g, r, i, Z, and Y-bands. Due to its 8.2 m primary mirror and long exposure periods, HSC combines deep images with wide-field coverage. Both properties make HSC one of the most suitable observing facilities for low-surface brightness (LSB) studies, which are particularly sensitive to the PSF. By applying a median stacking technique of point-like sources with different brightness, we show how to construct the HSC-SSP PDR3 PSF models to an extent of R ~ 5.6 arcmin. These models are appropriate for the HSC-PDR3 intermediate-state data which do not have applied the final aggressive background subtraction. The intermediate-state data is especially stored for users interested in large extended objects, where our new PSFs provide them with a crucial tool to characterise LSB properties at large angles. We demonstrate that our HSC PSFs behave reasonably in two scenarios. In the first one, we generate 2D models of a bright star, showing no evidence of residual structures across the five bands. In the second scenario, we recreate the PSF-scattered light on mock images with special consideration of the effect of this additional flux on LSB measurements. Despite the well-behaved nature of the HSC-PDR3 PSFs, there is a non-negligible impact on the faint light present in the mock images. This impact could lead to incorrect LSB measurements if a proper star subtraction is not applied. The PSF models are publicly available to the astronomical community at github.com/luciagarate/HSC_PSFs (DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.11273118).
- Publication:
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Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Pub Date:
- June 2024
- DOI:
- 10.1093/mnras/stae1292
- arXiv:
- arXiv:2309.16244
- Bibcode:
- 2024MNRAS.531.2517G
- Keywords:
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- Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies
- E-Print:
- 16 pages, 12 figures, accepted in MNRAS May 2024