Euclid

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Abstract
Weak lensing surveys require accurate an correction for the point spread function (PSF) when measuring galaxy shapes. For a diffraction-limited PSF, which arises in the context of space-based missions, this correction depends on each galaxy’s spectral energy distribution (SED). Therefore, sufficiently accurate knowledge of the SED is needed for every galaxy. In the Euclid mission, galaxy SED reconstruction, which is one of the tasks of the photometric-redshift processing function (PHZ PF), relies on broad- and medium-band ancillary photometry. The limited wavelength sampling of the I E passband and signal-to-noise ratio might affect the reconstruction accuracy and translate into biases in the weak lensing measurements. In this study, we present the methodology employed in the Euclid PHZ PF for reconstructing galaxy SEDs at 55 wavelengths, sampling the I E passband every 10 nm, and we assess whether it fulfils the accuracy requirements imposed on the Euclid PSF model. We employed both physics- and data-driven methods, focussing on a new approach of template-based flux correction and Gaussian processes. For validation, we introduced an SED metric whose bias translates into inaccuracies in the PSF quadrupole moments. Our findings demonstrate that Gaussian processes and template fitting meet the requirements only in specific, but complementary redshift intervals. We therefore propose a hybrid approach that leverages both methods. This solution proves effective in meeting the Euclid accuracy requirements for most of the redshift range of the survey. Finally, we investigated the impact on the SED reconstruction of a new set of 16 evenly-spaced medium-band filters for the Subaru telescope, providing quasi-spectroscopic coverage of the I E passband. This study offers promising results, ensuring accurate SED reconstruction and meeting the mission PSF requirements. This work thus provides not only the methodological foundation of galaxy SED reconstruction in the Euclid PHZ PF, but also a roadmap for future improvements using a new medium-band survey.

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