The PAU survey: photometric redshift estimation in deep wide fields

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, vol. 534, pp. 1504–1527

Abstract

ABSTRACT We present photometric redshifts (photo-z) for the deep wide fields of the Physics of the Accelerating Universe Survey (PAUS), covering an area of $\sim$50 deg$^{2}$, for $\sim$1.8 million objects up to $i_{\rm {AB}}\lt 23$. The PAUS deep wide fields overlap with the W1 and W3 fields from CFHTLenS and the G09 field from KiDS/GAMA. Photo-z are estimated using the 40 narrow bands (NB) of PAUS and the broad-bands (BB) of CFHTLenS and KiDS. We compute the redshifts with the SED template-fitting code bcnz, with a modification in the calibration technique of the zero-point between the observed and the modelled fluxes, that removes any dependence on spectroscopic redshift samples. We enhance the redshift accuracy by introducing an additional photo-z estimate ($z_{\textrm {b}}$), obtained through the combination of the bcnz and the BB-only photo-z. Comparing with spectroscopic redshift estimates ($z_{\textrm {s}}$), we obtain a $\sigma _{68} \simeq 0.020$ for all galaxies with $i_{\rm {AB}}\lt 23$ and a typical bias $|z_{\textrm {b}}\!-\!z_{\textrm {s}}|$ smaller than 0.01. For $z_{\textrm {b}} \sim (0.10\!-\!0.75)$, we find $\sigma _{68} \simeq (0.003\!-\!0.02)$, this is a factor of $10\!-\!2$ higher accuracy than the corresponding BB-only results. We obtain similar performance when we split the samples into red (passive) and blue (active) galaxies. We validate the redshift probability $p(z)$ obtained by bcnz and compare its performance with that of $z_{\textrm {b}}$. These photo-z catalogues will facilitate important science cases, such as the study of galaxy clustering and intrinsic alignment at high redshifts ($z \lesssim 1$) and faint magnitudes.

Authors 26

1. D Navarro-Gironés corresponding

   Institute of Space Sciences · Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC) , Gran Capità, 2-4, Edifici Nexus, Desp. 201, 08034 Barcelona ,

   Institute of Space Sciences (ICE, CSIC) , Campus UAB, Carrer de Can Magrans, s/n, 08193 Barcelona ,

2. ENRIQUE GAZTAÑAGA

   Institute of Space Sciences · Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya · University of Portsmouth

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC) , Gran Capità, 2-4, Edifici Nexus, Desp. 201, 08034 Barcelona ,

   Institute of Cosmology & Gravitation, University of Portsmouth , Dennis Sciama Building, Burnaby Road, Portsmouth PO1 3FX ,

   Institute of Space Sciences (ICE, CSIC) , Campus UAB, Carrer de Can Magrans, s/n, 08193 Barcelona ,

3. M. Crocce

   Institute of Space Sciences · Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC) , Gran Capità, 2-4, Edifici Nexus, Desp. 201, 08034 Barcelona ,

   Institute of Space Sciences (ICE, CSIC) , Campus UAB, Carrer de Can Magrans, s/n, 08193 Barcelona ,

4. Anna Wittje

   Ruhr University Bochum

   Affiliation as printed

   Ruhr University Bochum, Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, Astronomical Institute (AIRUB), German Centre for Cosmological Lensing , 44780 Bochum ,

5. Hendrik Hildebrandt

   Ruhr University Bochum

   Affiliation as printed

   Ruhr University Bochum, Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, Astronomical Institute (AIRUB), German Centre for Cosmological Lensing , 44780 Bochum ,

6. Angus H. Wright

   Ruhr University Bochum

   Affiliation as printed

   Ruhr University Bochum, Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, Astronomical Institute (AIRUB), German Centre for Cosmological Lensing , 44780 Bochum ,

7. M. Siudek

   Institute of Space Sciences · Universidad de La Laguna · Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Space Sciences (ICE, CSIC) , Campus UAB, Carrer de Can Magrans, s/n, 08193 Barcelona ,

   Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), Departamento de Astrofísica, Universidad de La Laguna (ULL) , 38200, La Laguna, Tenerife ,

8. Martin Eriksen

   Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona · Institute for High Energy Physics · Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology · Port d'Informació Científica

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology , Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona) ,

   Port d’Informació Científica (PIC) , Campus UAB, C. Albareda s/n, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona) ,

9. Santiago Serrano

   Institute of Space Sciences · Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC) , Gran Capità, 2-4, Edifici Nexus, Desp. 201, 08034 Barcelona ,

   Institute of Space Sciences (ICE, CSIC) , Campus UAB, Carrer de Can Magrans, s/n, 08193 Barcelona ,

   Satlantis, University Science Park , Sede Bld 48940, Leioa-Bilbao ,

10. Pablo Renard

    Tsinghua University

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Astronomy, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084 ,

11. Elizabeth Johana Gonzalez

    Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas · Universidad Nacional de Córdoba · Institute for High Energy Physics · Instituto de Astronomía Teórica y Experimental · Argentine National Observatory · Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology

    Affiliation as printed

    Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology , Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona) ,

    Instituto de Astronomía Teórica y Experimental (IATE-CONICET) , Laprida 854, X5000BGR, Córdoba ,

    Observatorio Astronómico de Córdoba, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (OAC-UNC) , Laprida 854, X5000BGR Córdoba ,

12. C. M. Baugh

    Durham University

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Physics, Institute for Computational Cosmology, Science Laboratories, Durham University , South Road, Durham DH1 3LE ,

13. Laura Cabayol

    Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona · Institute for High Energy Physics · Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology · Port d'Informació Científica

    Affiliation as printed

    Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology , Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona) ,

    Port d’Informació Científica (PIC) , Campus UAB, C. Albareda s/n, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona) ,

14. J. Carretero

    Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona · Institute for High Energy Physics · Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology · Port d'Informació Científica

    Affiliation as printed

    Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology , Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona) ,

    Port d’Informació Científica (PIC) , Campus UAB, C. Albareda s/n, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona) ,

15. R. Casas

    Institute of Space Sciences · Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya

    Affiliation as printed

    Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC) , Gran Capità, 2-4, Edifici Nexus, Desp. 201, 08034 Barcelona ,

    Institute of Space Sciences (ICE, CSIC) , Campus UAB, Carrer de Can Magrans, s/n, 08193 Barcelona ,

16. Francisco Javier Castander

    Institute of Space Sciences · Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya

    Affiliation as printed

    Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC) , Gran Capità, 2-4, Edifici Nexus, Desp. 201, 08034 Barcelona ,

    Institute of Space Sciences (ICE, CSIC) , Campus UAB, Carrer de Can Magrans, s/n, 08193 Barcelona ,

17. I. V. Daza-Perilla

    Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas · Instituto de Astronomía Teórica y Experimental

    Affiliation as printed

    Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) , Godoy Cruz 2290, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires ,

    Instituto de Astronomía Teórica y Experimental , CONICET–UNC ,

18. Juan de Vicente

    Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas

    Affiliation as printed

    Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT) , Avenida Complutense 40, 28040 Madrid ,

19. Enrique Fernandez

    Institute for High Energy Physics · Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology

    Affiliation as printed

    Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology , Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona) ,

20. J. García-Bellido

    Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas · Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

    Affiliation as printed

    Instituto de Fisica Teorica UAM/CSIC , Nicolas Cabrera, 13, 28049 Madrid ,

21. Henk Hoekstra Aachen Leiden Observatory

    Leiden University · Leiden Observatory

    Affiliation as printed

    Leiden Observatory, Leiden University , Leiden ,

22. Giorgio Manzoni

    Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

    Affiliation as printed

    Jockey Club Institute for Advanced Study, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology , Hong Kong S.A.R. ,

23. R Miquel

    Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats · Institute for High Energy Physics · Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology

    Affiliation as printed

    Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA) , 08010 Barcelona ,

    Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology , Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona) ,

24. Eusebio Sanchez

    Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas

    Affiliation as printed

    Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT) , Avenida Complutense 40, 28040 Madrid ,

25. Ignacio Sevilla-Noarbe

    Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas

    Affiliation as printed

    Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT) , Avenida Complutense 40, 28040 Madrid ,

26. Pau Tallada-Crespí

    Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona · Port d'Informació Científica · Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas

    Affiliation as printed

    Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT) , Avenida Complutense 40, 28040 Madrid ,

    Port d’Informació Científica (PIC) , Campus UAB, C. Albareda s/n, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona) ,