Using Gaia DR2 to solve differential colour refraction and charge transfer efficiency issues

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Gaia DR2 catalogue released in 2018 gives information about more than one billion stars, including their extremely precise positions that are not affected by the atmosphere, as well as the magnitudes in the G, RP, and BP passbands. This information provides great potential for the improvement of the ground-based astrometry. Based on Gaia DR2, we present a convenient method to calibrate the differential colour refraction (DCR). This method only requires observations with dozens of stars taken through a selected filter. Applying this method to the reduction of observations captured through different filters by the 1- and 2.4-m telescopes at Yunnan Observatory, the results show that the mean of the residuals between observed and computed positions (O − C) after DCR correction is significantly reduced. For our observations taken through an N (null) filter, the median of the mean (O − C) for well-exposed stars (about 15 G-mag) decreases from 19 to 3 mas, thus achieving better accuracy, i.e. mean (O − C). Another issue correlated is a systematic error caused by the poor charge transfer efficiency (CTE) when a CCD frame is read out. This systematic error is significant for some of the observations captured by the 1-m telescope at Yunnan Observatory. Using a sigmoidal function to fit and correct the mean (O − C), a systematic error up to 30 mas can be eliminated.