A simple, flexible method for timing cross-calibration of space missions
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arXiv
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| Natura: | Preprint |
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2025
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| author | Bachetti, Matteo Terada, Yukikatsu Shidatsu, Megumi Markwardt, Craig B. Chen, Yong Cui, Weiwei Cusumano, Giancarlo Han, Dawei Jia, Shumei Kang, Chulsoo Kashyap, Vinay L. Kuiper, Lucien Li, Xiaobo Motogami, Yugo Ota, Naoyuki Pagliarella, Simone Pottschmidt, Katja Rosen, Simon R. Rots, Arnold Sawada, Makoto Sugizaki, Mutsumi Takagi, Toshihiro Takahashi, Takuya Tamagawa, Toru Tuo, Youli Yang, Yi-Jung Yoshimoto, Marina Zhang, Juan |
| author_facet | Bachetti, Matteo Terada, Yukikatsu Shidatsu, Megumi Markwardt, Craig B. Chen, Yong Cui, Weiwei Cusumano, Giancarlo Han, Dawei Jia, Shumei Kang, Chulsoo Kashyap, Vinay L. Kuiper, Lucien Li, Xiaobo Motogami, Yugo Ota, Naoyuki Pagliarella, Simone Pottschmidt, Katja Rosen, Simon R. Rots, Arnold Sawada, Makoto Sugizaki, Mutsumi Takagi, Toshihiro Takahashi, Takuya Tamagawa, Toru Tuo, Youli Yang, Yi-Jung Yoshimoto, Marina Zhang, Juan |
| contents | The timing (cross-)calibration of astronomical instruments is often done by comparing pulsar times-of-arrival (TOAs) to a reference timing model. In high-energy astronomy, the choice of solar system ephemerides and source positions used to barycenter the photon arrival times has a significant impact on the procedure, requiring a full reprocessing of the data each time a new convention is used. Our method, developed as part of the activities of the International Astronomical Consortium for High Energy Calibration (IACHEC), adapts an existing pulsar solution to arbitrary JPL ephemerides and source positions by simulating geocentric TOAs and refitting timing models (implemented with PINT). We validate the procedure and apply it to thousands of observations of the Crab pulsar from 15 missions spanning 1996--2025, demonstrating inter-ephemeris TOA consistency at the $\lesssim5 μ$s level, using the DE200/FK5-based Jodrell Bank Monthly Ephemeris as a common reference. We release the TOAExtractor open-source tool and a TOA database to support future calibration and scientific studies. Instrument timing performance is broadly consistent with mission specifications; the X-ray-to-radio phase offset varies with energy and time at a level that is marginally consistent with the uncertainties of the radio ephemeris, motivating coordinated multiwavelength follow-up. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_13865 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | A simple, flexible method for timing cross-calibration of space missions Bachetti, Matteo Terada, Yukikatsu Shidatsu, Megumi Markwardt, Craig B. Chen, Yong Cui, Weiwei Cusumano, Giancarlo Han, Dawei Jia, Shumei Kang, Chulsoo Kashyap, Vinay L. Kuiper, Lucien Li, Xiaobo Motogami, Yugo Ota, Naoyuki Pagliarella, Simone Pottschmidt, Katja Rosen, Simon R. Rots, Arnold Sawada, Makoto Sugizaki, Mutsumi Takagi, Toshihiro Takahashi, Takuya Tamagawa, Toru Tuo, Youli Yang, Yi-Jung Yoshimoto, Marina Zhang, Juan Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena The timing (cross-)calibration of astronomical instruments is often done by comparing pulsar times-of-arrival (TOAs) to a reference timing model. In high-energy astronomy, the choice of solar system ephemerides and source positions used to barycenter the photon arrival times has a significant impact on the procedure, requiring a full reprocessing of the data each time a new convention is used. Our method, developed as part of the activities of the International Astronomical Consortium for High Energy Calibration (IACHEC), adapts an existing pulsar solution to arbitrary JPL ephemerides and source positions by simulating geocentric TOAs and refitting timing models (implemented with PINT). We validate the procedure and apply it to thousands of observations of the Crab pulsar from 15 missions spanning 1996--2025, demonstrating inter-ephemeris TOA consistency at the $\lesssim5 μ$s level, using the DE200/FK5-based Jodrell Bank Monthly Ephemeris as a common reference. We release the TOAExtractor open-source tool and a TOA database to support future calibration and scientific studies. Instrument timing performance is broadly consistent with mission specifications; the X-ray-to-radio phase offset varies with energy and time at a level that is marginally consistent with the uncertainties of the radio ephemeris, motivating coordinated multiwavelength follow-up. |
| title | A simple, flexible method for timing cross-calibration of space missions |
| topic | Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.13865 |