Astro Data Lab

Description

The Southern Photometric Local Universe Survey (S-PLUS) is an ongoing survey mapping about 9300 square degrees of the southern sky with an optical 12-band narrow and broadband photometric system sing a dedicated 0.8m telescope (T80S) at Cerro Tololo, Chile. The T80S telescope is equipped with an optical imager, the T80Cam, whose detector is a 9232 x 9216 10μm-pixel array. The telescope plate scale at the detector is 0.55 arcsec/pixel and the FoV of the camera is 1.4 x 1.4 deg. The CCD is read out with 16 amplifiers organized in an 8 x 2 array. The Javalambre photometric system used for S-PLUS includes 5 Sloan-like filters and 7 narrow-band filters that cover prominent stellar spectral features: [OII], Ca H+K, Hδ, G-band, Mgb Triplet, Hα and the Ca Triplet, allowing determination of percent-level accurate photo-z's up to z ~ 0.6 (Lima et al. 2022) and detailed element abundances for millions of sources. The S-PLUS main drives include the large-scale structure of the universe at low redshift, the star formation in and around nearby galaxies, quasar searches, transients, and variable sources, searches for low-metallicity stars, and Milky Way science in general. More details about the first data release (DR1) are available in Mendes de Oliveira et al. (2019) as well as more details about the second data release can be found in Almeida-Fernandes et al. (2022), while the DR3 didn't get an individual paper, but information can be retrieved from both Almeida-Fernandes et al. (2022) and Herpich et al. (2024). The DR1 contains 80 Stripe-82 fields observed during the scientific validation process plus other 90 fields of the same region obtained during regular operation time. The DR2 consists of 514 tiles covering an area of 950 square degrees (including DR1 tiles). DR4 contains the areas of all previous releases with additional tiles covering around 3000 sq deg, and is described in Herpich et al. (2024). The data has been fully calibrated using a new photometric calibration technique suitable for the new generation of wide-field multi-filter surveys. This technique consists of a χ² minimization to fit synthetic stellar templates to already calibrated data from other surveys, eliminating the need for standard stars and reducing the survey duration time by about 15%.

The total filter transmission curves, obtained by the convolution of the filter transmission curves with a model of the atmospheric transmission (using the ESO sky model calculator version 1.4.3), plus the efficiency of the CCD and the mirror reflectivity curves, are available on the project website and fully described in Mendes de Oliveira et al. (2019) and Herpich et al. (2024).

The splus_dr4.psf, splus_dr2.main, splus_dr1.stripe82, and splus_edr.stripe82 tables have all been crossmatched against our default reference datasets within a 1.5 arcsec radius, nearest neighbor only. These tables will appear with x1p5 in their name in our table browser. Example: splus_dr4.x1p5__psf__gaia_dr3__gaia_source.

Figure: S-PLUS convolved transmission curves after accounting for the instrumental and atmospheric contributions.

Scientific Goals

S-PLUS is divided into 5 sub-surveys, each with particular goals:

• The Main Survey (MS): covering an area of ~8000 deg² with a single visit to each field per filter, under photometric conditions and when the seeing ranges from 0.8" to 2.0". The MS strategy is motivated by the requirements set by extragalactic science, with accurate photometric redshifts for objects down to i=21 (Molino et al. 2020), allowing the study of the local large-scale structure, star formation rates and stellar populations.
• The Ultra-Short Survey (USS): covers the same area of the MS, in 12 bands, but with 1/12 the exposure time of the MS. The USS is motivated by the search for low-metallicity and carbon-enhanced stars. The USS is performed in gray non-photometric nights and bright times, under any seeing conditions.
• The Galactic Survey (GS): covers an area of 1300 deg² in the Milky Way plane in all 12 filters divided into two Galactic regions, the bulge and the disk. The first epoch of the GS will have the MS depth, followed by shallow 2nd and 3rd epoch data having exposure times of 1 s and 5 s, respectively, and only using the filters r, i and F660. Finally, the GS will obtain at least 25 more epochs at random cadence and over many years, at the same depth as the first epoch observations. These various exposure times will probe a large range of magnitudes, allowing the sampling of different stellar populations while the temporal aspect of the survey is suitable for the detection of variable sources. The GS is carried only during bright nights (Moon brightness > 80%).
• The Marble Field Survey (MFS): composed of a set of specific fields that will be revisited as often as possible under dark or gray nights, and photometric or close-to-photometric weather conditions, when the seeing is too poor to observe MS, i.e. worse than 2". Objects selected for the MFS at the time of this writing are the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC and SMC), M83 (only in the narrow bands), the Dorado Group and the Hydra cluster. The MFS will primarily be suitable for the identification and characterization of variable stars, studies of galaxies using techniques similar to low-resolution IFU observations, and the detection of stellar and gas halos or streams out to several effective radii around nearby galaxies.
• The Variability Fields Survey (VFS): will perform observations with exposure times to be determined, repeated with a cadence that is set by the frequency of non-photometric nights, covering several fields already observed by MS. The exact strategy for the VFS is flexible to support the different strategies to detect variability. The VFS is suitable for detecting variable sources, such as pulsating stars, cataclysmic variables, supernovae (SNe), eclipsing binaries, asteroids, and AGNs, and for finding and doing follow-up of targets of opportunity.

Data Releases

S-PLUS DR4

The data release 4 (DR4) includes 1,629 fields, covering about 3,000 square degrees of the southern sky. It contains the same regions from the previous DRs (1, 2, and 3) as well as new data from the Magellanic clouds, the disk of the Galaxy, and some additional high galactic latitude fields. The data reduction is still done the same way but the photometry and the calibration (for all the data in DR4) were done slightly differently, using the most recent version of the pipelines (as described in Herpich et al. 2024). Besides the SExtractor photometry, PSF photometry is also performed - this is very important in the crowded fields of the Magellanic clouds and of the disk of our Galaxy. It is important to note that a few of the columns used in previous releases now have different identifications in DR4 (see list of column names). Another important point to note is that the queries have changed (because the table structure changed in important ways) and we urge the user to look at examples of frequently used queries to get acquainted with the new nomenclature, to download data.

Figure: S-PLUS DR4 covers a total area of 3,022.7 square degrees in the southern hemisphere, shown in blue in the image above.

What's new in DR4?

The most important difference between this and the former data releases is the inclusion of the Magellanic Clouds region, as well as fields at very low galactic latitudes (|b| < 15°). These observations presented challenges that led to several new features in the photometric calibration pipeline, listed below:

• PSF photometry: extracted using DOphot and available for all the fields in DR4;
• ISM extinction correction: the calibration pipeline now takes into account ISM extinction maps available in the literature. However, the final catalogs are still NOT CORRECTED for ISM extinction (which are available as a Value Added Catalog);
• Single mode photometry: in addition to the dual mode aperture photometry (used in previous data releases), DR4 also includes the SExtractor aperture photometry extracted in single mode (meaning detections and measurements are obtained individually for each filter). Dual-mode photometry is still available as usual;
• Use of weight maps during aperture photometry: the photometry extracted using SExtractor now takes into account the individual uncertainties in each pixel, resulting in better-estimated magnitude errors;
• Improved detection image: for the dual mode photometry, the detection image is now produced using SWARP and takes into account the weight maps. The detection image is still obtained by coadding the g, r, i, and z filters, as in former data releases;
• DR4 coverage includes 150 fields in the Magellanic Clouds region, 171 fields of very low galactic latitude (|b| < 15°), and other additional 341 fields across the main survey footprint, which brings the total number of fields in DR4 to 1,629, covering a total area of 3,022.7 square degrees (of which 289.5 and 347.4 square degrees are in the MC and Disk regions, respectively);
• Data catalogs and columns: with the addition of single-mode aperture photometry and PSF photometry, the data structure was slightly modified for the new data release. This means the queries to download the data will have to be slightly modified.

S-PLUS DR2

Almeida-Fernandes et al. (2021) show the procedure adopted in S-PLUS for the catalog production. The S-PLUS photometric pipeline is based on the SExtractor software. Photometric catalogs are constructed in double-image mode to perform multi-band aperture-matched photometry. Detection images are created as a weighted-combination of the reddest (griz) broad-band filters to maximize the detectability of faint (or low-surface brightness) sources and to enhance the definition of the photometric apertures. Magnitudes for non-detected sources on individual images are set to m = 99 and corresponding uncertainties replaced by upper-limits. Photometric zero-point calibrations have been performed for every pointing using a novel technique optimized for wide-field multi-band photometric surveys (Almeida-Fernandes et al, 2021). As explained in Almeida-Fernandes et al. (2021) the catalog includes both astrometric, morphologic, photometric and photo-z information for all detected sources in the S-PLUS detection images. The following parameters were extracted from the images, among others: celestial coordinates (RA, Dec) in the J2000 system, physical position on the CCD (X,Y), photometric aperture size (ISOarea), the signal-to-noise (s2nDet; defined as FLUX_AUTO/FLUXERR_AUTO on the detection image), compactness (FWHM and MUMAX), basic shape parameters (A, B & THETA), the fraction-of-light radii (FLUX_RADIUS) and Kron apertures (KRON_RADIUS). For a list of all the parameters available see Table 5 of Almeida-Fernandes et al. (2021).

We have also included the standard SeXtractor photometric Flags (PhotoFlag) for both the detection and each filter image. The meaning of each of these flag numbers is the following:

1: The object has neighbors, bright and close enough to significantly bias the MAG_AUTO photometry, or bad pixels,
2: The object was originally blended with another one,
4: At least one pixel of the object is saturated,
8: The object is truncated (too close to an image boundary),
16: Object's aperture data are incomplete or corrupted,
32: Object's isophotal data are incomplete or corrupted,
64: A memory overflow occurred during the deblending,
128: A memory overflow occurred during the extraction.

Objects with different flag numbers have a combination of the already mentioned flags, the number being the sum of the different flags.

The catalog contains determinations of the photometry of a source in several apertures, where the magnitudes (and uncertainties) are named according to the filter's name and the adopted photometric aperture. The S-PLUS magnitudes are given in the AB photometric system and are not corrected for ISM extinction. The apertures included in DR2 are ‘AUTO’, ‘PETRO’, ‘ISO’, ‘APER_3’, ‘APER_6’, ‘PS_TOTAL’, defined as follows:

• AUTO: Adaptive scaled aperture based on Kron’s “first moment” algorithm.
• PETRO: Adaptive scaled elliptical aperture based on Petrosian’s photometric estimator.
• ISO: Isophotal area defined as the number of pixels with values exceeding 3 sigma threshold.
• APER_3: circular fixed apertures of 3" diameter.
• APER_6: circular fixed apertures of 6" diameter.
• PSTOTAL: circular fixed apertures of 3" diameter + aperture correction.

Ex. the u band magnitude for the PETRO aperture is called u_PETRO and its uncertainty is called e_u_PETRO.
An estimate of the signal-to-noise for every detection, within each aperture, is also provided as “s2n_J0660_auto”, for example. The signal-to-noise is defined as explained before for the detection image.

S-PLUS DR1

As explained in Mendes de Oliveira et al. (2019), the procedure adopted in S-PLUS for the catalog production is similar to that thoroughly explained in Molino et al. (2014) for the ALHAMBRA survey (Moles et al, 2008). The S-PLUS photometric pipeline is based on the SExtractor software. Photometric catalogs are constructed in double-image mode to perform multi-band aperture-matched photometry. Detection images are created as a weighted-combination of the reddest (griz) broad-band filters to maximize the detectability of aint (or low-surface brightness) sources and to enhance the definition of the photometric apertures. An empirical noise characterization is done beforehand on an image-by-image basis, to account for correlations among adjacent pixels during image reduction process Molino et al. (2014). Magnitudes for non-detected sources on individual images are set to m=99 and corresponding uncertainties replaced by upper-limits. Photometric zero-point calibrations have been performed for every pointing using a novel technique optimized for wide-field multi-band photometric surveys (Almeida-Fernandes et al. 2021). The technique uses a combination of libraries of stellar models and the stellar locus of main sequence stars, applied to typically ~1500 stars per field, bringing all zero-points to a typical error of 1-2%.

As explained in Almeida-Fernandes et al. (2021), the catalog includes both astrometric, morphologic, photometric and photo-z information for all detected sources in the S-PLUS detection images. Astrometric as well as morphological information is extracted from detection images: celestial coordinates (RA, Dec) in the J2000 system, physical position on the CCD (X,Y), photometric aperture size (ISOarea), the signal-to-noise (s2nDet; defined as SExt_FLUX_PETRO/SExt_FLUXERR_PETRO on the detection image), compactness (FWHM and MUMAX) , basic shape parameters (A, B & THETA), the fraction-of-light radii (FlRadDet) and Kron apertures (KrRadDet). We have also included the standard SeXtractor photometric Flags (PhotoFlag). The meaning of the flag's number is the following:

1: The object has neighbors, bright and close enough to significantly bias the MAG_AUTO photometry, or bad pixels,
2: The object was originally blended with another one,
4: At least one pixel of the object is saturated,
8: The object is truncated (too close to an image boundary),
16: Object's aperture data are incomplete or corrupted,
32: Object's isophotal data are incomplete or corrupted,
64: A memory overflow occurred during the deblending,
128: A memory overflow occurred during the extraction.

Objects with a different flag's number may suffer from a combination of the already mentioned flags, being the number the sum of the different flags.

The catalog contains a triple photometry where magnitudes (& uncertainties) are named according to the filter's name and the adopted photometric aperture. Here we provide an example for clarifications: F660_auto, F660_petro & F660_aper correspond to the AB magnitudes for the F660 narrow-band filter, where “auto” refers to the total (restricted) apertures used to derive photo-z estimations, “petro” to the total (moderate) apertures used to derive absolute magnitudes and stellar masses and “aper” to the standard circular 3”-diameter apertures (see Molino et al. 2016, Molino et al. 2018, for more information). Photometric uncertainties take the same name (as magnitudes) but adding the prefix “d”): “dF660_auto”, “dF660_petro” & “dF660_aper”.

An estimate of the signal-to-noise for every detection, within each one of the three apertures, is also provided as “s2n_F660_auto”, “s2n_F660_petro” & “s2n_F660_aper”, defined as explained before for the detection image. For each set of magnitudes, photometric uncertainties are empirically corrected in all the 12 bands. Whenever a source was not detected, its magnitude was set to 99. and its photometric uncertainty replaced by a 2-σ upper limit. Magnitudes are corrected from galactic extinction using Schlegel et al. (1998).

The catalog also includes a photometric redshift estimate for every source using a new version of the BPZ code (Benítez 2000) optimized for galaxies in the local Universe (Molino et al. 2020). “zb” corresponds to the most likely value (i.e., peak) and “zb_Min” and “zb_Max” represent the lower and upper limits for the first peak within a 1σ interval (i.e., ∆z = 0.02x(1 + z)). Based on the most likely redshift, a spectral-type classification is also provided by “Tb”, where its number refers to the selected template. “Odds” gives the amount of redshift probability enclosed around the main peak and “χ²” the reduced chi-squared from the comparison between observed and predicted fluxes according to the selected template and redshift. An estimation of the stellar-mass content (in units of log10(M⊙)) is given by “Stell_Mass”. Absolute magnitudes in the Johnson B-band (“M_B”) are estimated for each detection according to its most likely redshift and spectral-type.

Data Reduction

The raw imaging data of S-PLUS are processed daily and data catalogs are generated at the data center, located in the T80-South technical room, in Cerro Tololo, Chile.

The S-PLUS raw data are reduced using a version of the data processing pipeline jype that is used to process data for the J-PLUS and the J-PAS surveys, and it is based on the photometric pipeline originally developed for the ALHAMBRA survey (see Cristobal-Hornillos et al. 2009; Molino et al. 2014; Benitez et al. 2014) and the CLASH surveys (Molino et al. 2017).

The basic reduction strategy consists of four steps:

• generating a master bias;
• creating a master flat;
• reducing the individual frames, and
• combining the individual frames into the final astrometrically-aligned images.

Bias frames are obtained every night and twilight flats are obtained whenever the sky is clear, at dawn and dusk. Twilight flats work well for our purposes. Bias and twilight flat fields are stable over a period of about a month and therefore master bias and master flats are obtained for such a period, encompassing the observations of the object. Master flats are obtained for each filter. Only flat fields with counts between 13000 and 45000 counts are used. Overscan subtraction, trimming and bias subtraction are applied to each individual flat field. Master flats are then created by obtaining, for each pixel, the median value with 3 sigma clipping, of all usable flats of a given filter, after scaling each image by its mode. This is performed using the task imcombine of iraf with options median, sigclip, scale=mode and zero=none. Finally the master flats are normalized to have a median of unity.

The reduction of individual images consists of applying the overscan subtraction, trimming, bias subtraction and master flat division. Then cosmetic corrections (removing satellite tracks and cosmic rays) and fringing subtraction are performed. Satellite track and cosmic ray subtraction are performed using either SatDetect in the first case and LACosmic (van Dokkum 2001) or retina filter in the second case, both from SExtractor. Fringing frames are obtained by combining the final individual frames that suffer from fringing, usually only in the z filter. The fringing patterns are stable over several months, so a single fringing frame is made by combining all images over such a period which do not have any bright objects. The last step is, then, the combination of the individual images, which is done by obtaining the median, with 3 sigma clipping, pixel by pixel, for typically three images of each field and filter. This is performed using the task imcombine of iraf with options median, sigclip, scale=none, and zero=mode.

More details can be found on the project webpage https://splus.cloud/documentation/DR4.