Characterisation of the Gaia photometry

Abstract

Our team at the University of Barcelona has contributed since the early phases of the mission to the definition, evaluation and calibration modelling of the Gaia photometry. To maximise the Gaia scientific exploitation, we have frequently shared many different tools and data with the astronomical community. Among this information we have defined several relationships among colours involving Gaia magnitudes and colours from other commonly used photometric systems (Johnson-Cousins, SDSS, Hipparcos, Tycho and 2MASS) for several types of stars (including white dwarfs). These relationships can be used for planning scientific exploitation of Gaia data, performing simulations of the Gaia-like sky, planning ground-based complementary observations and for building catalogues with auxiliary validation data. During the commissioning phase our team (as part of the Payload Experts group) has been intensively checking the first photometric data to analyse the health and properties of the real instrument. These preliminary analyses allowed us to monitor the throughput variations with time, assess the spectral resolution and re-evaluate the performances of the end-of-mission photometry. The Payload Experts group activities continue beyond the commissioning phase aiming to optimize the operations onboard for maximizing the scientific return. Some example of first spectra and photometry are shown.