2MASS Re-processing I: The Search for Faint Objects

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Liu, Zehao, Peng, Xiyan, Tang, Zhenghong, Qi, Zhaoxiang, Liao, Shilong, Yu, Yong
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Liu, Zehao
Peng, Xiyan
Tang, Zhenghong
Qi, Zhaoxiang
Liao, Shilong
Yu, Yong
author_facet Liu, Zehao
Peng, Xiyan
Tang, Zhenghong
Qi, Zhaoxiang
Liao, Shilong
Yu, Yong
contents We present an automated, DAOFind-based pipeline developed to reprocess J-band Atlas All Sky Release Survey Images from the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS). By optimizing the detection parameters and implementing a screening procedure that jointly evaluates the signal-to-noise ratio and central sharpness, the pipeline effectively identifies faint point sources that were previously undetected. Applying this method to eight representative sky regions improves the 2MASS detection limit from 16.20 to 16.60 mag and increases the number of detected point sources by approximately 21.36% relative to the 2MASS Point Source Catalog, with a false-positive rate of only 4.80%. These results demonstrate that the proposed reprocessing pipeline can substantially enhance the scientific yield of archival 2MASS data, providing valuable faint-source supplements for studies of time-domain variability, Galactic structure, and cold, low-luminosity objects.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_17831
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle 2MASS Re-processing I: The Search for Faint Objects
Liu, Zehao
Peng, Xiyan
Tang, Zhenghong
Qi, Zhaoxiang
Liao, Shilong
Yu, Yong
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
We present an automated, DAOFind-based pipeline developed to reprocess J-band Atlas All Sky Release Survey Images from the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS). By optimizing the detection parameters and implementing a screening procedure that jointly evaluates the signal-to-noise ratio and central sharpness, the pipeline effectively identifies faint point sources that were previously undetected. Applying this method to eight representative sky regions improves the 2MASS detection limit from 16.20 to 16.60 mag and increases the number of detected point sources by approximately 21.36% relative to the 2MASS Point Source Catalog, with a false-positive rate of only 4.80%. These results demonstrate that the proposed reprocessing pipeline can substantially enhance the scientific yield of archival 2MASS data, providing valuable faint-source supplements for studies of time-domain variability, Galactic structure, and cold, low-luminosity objects.
title 2MASS Re-processing I: The Search for Faint Objects
topic Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.17831