Abstract
Understanding the properties of dark energy via type Ia supernova surveys requires unprecedented photometric precision. Laboratory and solar photometry and radiometry can achieve precision on the order of parts in ten thousand, but photometric calibration for non-solar astronomy presently remains stuck at the percent or greater level. We overview our project, ALTAIR, working to erase this discrepancy, and our steps toward achieving laboratory-level photometric precision for surveys late this decade. In particular, we show new observations of the balloon-borne light source we are presently testing, and comparisons with stellar and lunar observations. Our technique is additionally applicable to microwave astronomy. Observation of gravitational waves in the polarized CMB similarly requires unprecedented polarimetric and radiometric precision, and we briefly present our progress on calibrated microwave sources above the atmosphere as well.
ALTAIR: Precision Photometric Calibration via Artificial Light Sources above the Atmosphere
Understanding the properties of dark energy via type Ia supernova surveys requires unprecedented photometric precision. Laboratory and solar photometry and radiometry can achieve precision on the order of parts in ten thousand, but photometric calibration for non-solar astronomy presently remains stuck at the percent or greater level. We overview our project, ALTAIR, working to erase this discrepancy, and our steps toward achieving laboratory-level photometric precision for surveys late this decade. In particular, we show new observations of the balloon-borne light source we are presently testing, and comparisons with stellar and lunar observations. Our technique is additionally applicable to microwave astronomy. Observation of gravitational waves in the polarized CMB similarly requires unprecedented polarimetric and radiometric precision, and we briefly present our progress on calibrated microwave sources above the atmosphere as well.