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gaia data release 3 documentation

9.6 Data products

9.6.1 Galaxies

Here is the list of surface brightness profiles parameters given in table galaxy_candidates:

  • n_transits: Number of transits used for the fitting.

  • posangle_sersic: Position angle for the fitted Sérsic profile from North to East []

  • posangle_sersic_error: Uncertainty in the position angle (posangle_sersic) for the Sérsic profile []

  • intensity_sersic: Intensity at the fitted effective radius (radius_sersic) for the Sérsic profile [e-s-1]

  • intensity_sersic_error: Uncertainty of intensity_sersic for the Sérsic profile [e-s-1]

  • radius_sersic: Effective radius containing half of the total luminosity as obtained by morphological fitting for the Sérsic profile [mas]

  • radius_sersic_error: Uncertainty in the effective radius radius_sersic for the Sérsic profile [mas]

  • ellipticity_sersic: Ellipticity (defined as 1-(b/a) where b/a is the axis ratio) for the Sérsic profile. This parameter is not provided for extremely faint objects for which its determination was not possible.

  • ellipticity_sersic_error: Uncertainty in the ellipticity ellipticity_sersic for the Sérsic profile.

  • l2_sersic: L2 norm for the Sérsic Profile. This value represents the mean squared error between the integrated flux of all observed samples (from the Sky Mapper and Astrometric Field) and the integrated flux of synthetic samples produced with the fitted profile.

  • morph_params_corr_vec_sersic: Vector form of the correlation matrix of the fitted profile parameters, as obtained by morphological fitting for the Sérsic profile.

  • flags_sersic: This flag provides information about the processing or scientific quality of the results of the Galaxy morphology analysis chain for the Sérsic Profile.

  • n_sersic: Sérsic index of the Sérsic profile.

  • n_sersic_error: Uncertainty on the Sérsic index of the Sérsic profile.

  • posangle_de_vaucouleurs: Position angle for the fitted de Vaucouleurs profile from North to East []

  • posangle_de_vaucouleurs_error: Uncertainty in the position angle posangle_de_vaucouleurs []

  • intensity_de_vaucouleurs: Intensity at the fitted effective radius (radius_de_vaucouleurs) for the de Vaucouleurs profile [e-s-1]

  • intensity_de_vaucouleurs_error: Uncertainty of the light intensity at the fitted effective radius
    (radius_de_vaucouleurs) for the de Vaucouleurs profile [e-s-1]

  • radius_de_vaucouleurs: Effective radius containing half of the total luminosity of the source as obtained by morphological fitting for the de Vaucouleurs profile [mas]

  • radius_de_vaucouleurs_error: Uncertainty in the effective radius radius_de_vaucouleurs for the de Vaucouleurs profile [mas]

  • ellipticity_de_vaucouleurs: Ellipticity (defined as 1-(b/a) where b/a is the axis ratio) for the de Vaucouleurs profile. This parameter is not provided for extremely faint objects for which its determination was not possible.

  • ellipticity_de_vaucouleurs_error: Uncertainty in the ellipticity ellipticity_de_vaucouleurs for the de Vaucouleurs profile.

  • l2_de_vaucouleurs: L2 norm for the de Vaucouleurs Profile. This value represents the mean squared error between the integrated flux of all observed samples (from the Sky Mapper and Astrometric Field) and the integrated flux of synthetic samples produced with the fitted profile.

  • morph_params_corr_vec_de_vaucouleurs: Vector form of the correlation matrix of the fitted profile parameters, as obtained by morphological fitting for the de Vaucouleurs profile.

  • flags_de_vaucouleurs: This flag provides information about the processing or scientific quality of the results of the Galaxy morphology analysis chain for the de Vaucouleurs Profile.

The distribution of these quantities is given in Figure 9.5 for the Sérsic profile and in Figure 9.6 for the de Vaucouleurs profile.

Figure 9.5: Distribution of the parameters fitted for the Sérsic profile: effective radius, effective intensity, position angle, ellipticity and Sérsic index.

Figure 9.6: Distribution of the parameters fitted for the de Vaucouleurs profile: effective radius, effective intensity, position angle, ellipticity.

Galaxies flags

The flags flags_sersic and flags_de_vaucouleurs are given in the table to indicate specificity of each of the profiles fitted. The values taken by these flags and their signification are the following:

  • 1 =

    Elliptical profile fitted, other source at less that 2.5′′, doubtful solution;

  • 2 =

    Circular profile fitted, other source at less that 2.5′′, doubtful solution;

  • 3 =

    Elliptical profile fitted, PA not converged and one parameter or more converged towards the limit of the domain of search, poor solution;

  • 4 =

    Elliptical profile fitted, PA not converged;

  • 5 =

    Elliptical profile fitted, one parameter or more converged towards the limit of the domain of search, poor solution;

  • 6 =

    Elliptical profile well fitted;

  • 7 =

    Circular profile fitted, one parameter or more converged towards the limit of the domain of search, poor solution;

  • 8 =

    Circular profile well fitted.

The fit of a source having a neighbour that is closer than 2.5′′ is considered doubtful because the neighbour is present in the SM windows and potentially disturbs the fitting. Although parameters are provided for any source, not all parameters are provided depending on the flag.