Photometric system

Short description: Set of well-defined passbands (or filters), with a known sensitivity to incident radiation

For other uses, see Photometry (disambiguation).

In astronomy, a photometric system is a set of well-defined passbands (or optical filters), with a known sensitivity to incident radiation. The sensitivity usually depends on the optical system, detectors and filters used. For each photometric system a set of primary standard stars is provided.

A commonly adopted standardized photometric system is the Johnson-Morgan or UBV photometric system (1953). At present, there are more than 200 photometric systems.[1]

Photometric systems are usually characterized according to the widths of their passbands:

* broadband (passbands wider than 30 nm, of which the most widely used is Johnson-Morgan UBV system)
* intermediate band (passbands between 10 and 30 nm wide)
* narrow band (passbands less than 10 nm wide)

## Contents

* 1 Photometric letters
* 2 Filters used
* 3 See also
* 4 References and footnotes
* 5 External links

## Photometric letters

Each letter designates a section of light of the electromagnetic spectrum; these cover well the consecutive major groups, near-ultraviolet (NUV), visible light (centered on the V band), near-infrared (NIR) and part of mid-infrared (MIR).[lower-alpha 1] The letters are not standards, but are recognized by common agreement among astronomers and astrophysicists.

The use of U,B,V,R,I bands dates from the 1950s, being single-letter abbreviations.[lower-alpha 2]

With the advent of infrared detectors in the next decade, the J to N bands were labelled following on from near-infrared's closest-to-red band, I.

Later the H band was inserted, then Z in the 1990s and finally Y, without changing earlier definitions. Hence, H is out of alphabetical order from its neighbours, while Z,Y are reversed from the alphabetical - higher-wavelength - sub-series which dominates current photometric bands.

Filter
Letter  | Effective Wavelength Midpoint
λeff for Standard Filter[3] | Full width at half maximum[3]
[lower-alpha 3] (archetypal Bandwidth) (Δλ)[lower-alpha 4] | Variant(s)  | Description

|
|
|
|

Ultraviolet
U  | 365 nm  | 66 nm  | u, u', u*  | "U" stands for ultraviolet.
Visible
B  | 445 nm  | 94 nm  | b  | style="background-color: Template:Wavelength color; color:#ffffff; text-align:center;" | "B" stands for blue.
G[4] | 464 nm  | 128 nm  | g, g'  | style="background-color: Template:Wavelength color; color:#ffffff; text-align:center;" | "G" stands for green.
V  | 551 nm  | 88 nm  | v, v'  | style="background-color: Template:Wavelength color; color:#000000; text-align:center;" | "V" stands for visual.
R  | 658 nm  | 138 nm  | r, r', R', Rc, Re, Rj | bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color;" align="center" style="color:#ffffff;" | "R" stands for red.
Near-Infrared
I  | 806 nm  | 149 nm  | i, i', Ic, Ie, Ij | "I" stands for infrared.
Z  | 900 nm[5] | 152 nm  | z, z'  |
Y  | 1020 nm  | 120 nm  | y  |
J | 1220 nm  | 213 nm  | J', Js |
H | 1630 nm  | 307 nm  |  |
K | 2190 nm  | 390 nm  | K Continuum, K', Ks, Klong, K8, nbK  |
L | 3450 nm  | 472 nm  | L', nbL'  |
Mid-Infrared
M | 4750 nm  | 460 nm  | M', nbM  |
N | 10500 nm  | 2500 nm  |  |
Q  | 21000 nm[6] | 5800 nm[6] | Q'  |

Note: colors are only approximate and based on wavelength to sRGB representation (when possible).[7]

Combinations of these letters are frequently used; for example the combination JHK has been used more or less as a synonym of "near-infrared", and appears in the title of many papers.[8]

## Filters used

The filters currently being used by other telescopes or organizations.

Units of measurements:

* Å = Ångström
* nm = nanometre
* μm = micrometre

Name  | Filters  | Link

|
|

2.2 m telescope at La Silla, ESO  | J = 1.24 μm  | H = 1.63 μm  | K = 2.19 μm  | L' = 3.78 μm  | M = 4.66 μm  | N1 = 8.36 μm  | N2 = 9.67 μm  | N3 = 12.89 μm  |  | 2.2 m telescope at La Silla, ESO[9]
2MASS/PAIRITEL  | J = 1.25 μm  | H = 1.65 μm  | Ks = 2.15 μm  |  | Two Micron All-Sky Survey, Peters Automated InfraRed Imaging TELescope
CFHTLS (Megacam)  | u* = 374 nm  | align="center" bgcolor=" Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#000;" |g' = 487 nm  | align="center" bgcolor=" Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#ffffff;" |r' = 625 nm  | i' = 770 nm  | z' = 890 nm  |  | Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope
Chandra X-ray Observatory  | LETG = 0.08-0.2 keV  | HETG = 0.4-10 keV  |  | Chandra X-ray Observatory
CTIO  | J = 1.20 μm  | H = 1.60 μm  | K = 2.20 μm  | L = 3.50 μm  |  | Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, a division of NOAO
Cousins RI photometry  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#ffffff;" |Rc = 647 nm  | Ic = 786.5 nm  |  | Cousins RI photometry, 1976[10]
the Dark Energy Camera  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#ffffff;" |g = 472.0 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#ffffff;" |r = 641.5 nm  | i = 783.5 nm  | z = 926.0 nm  | Y = 1009.5 nm  |  | Central wavelengths for bands in the Dark Energy Survey[11]
DENIS  | I = 0.79 μm  | J = 1.24 μm  | K = 2.16 μm  |  | Deep Near Infrared Survey
Eggen RI photometry  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#ffffff;"|Re = 635 nm  | Ie = 790 nm  |  | Eggen RI photometry, 1965[12]
FIS  | N60 = 65.00 μm  | WIDE-S = 90.00 μm  | WIDE-L = 145.00 μm  | N160 = 160.00 μm  |  | Far-Infrared Surveyor on board, AKARI space telescope
Gaia  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#ffffff;"|G = 673 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#000;"|GBP = 532 nm  | GRP = 797 nm  | GRVS = 860 nm  |  | Gaia (spacecraft)[13]
GALEX[14] | NUV = 175–280 nm  | FUV = 135–175 nm  |  | GALaxy Evolution Explorer
GOODS (Hubble ACS)  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#ffffff;"|B = 435 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#ffffff;"|V = 606 nm  | i = 775 nm  | z = 850 nm  |  | Advanced Camera for Surveys on the Hubble Space Telescope
HAWC+  | Band 1 = 53 μm  | Band 2 = 89 μm  | Band 3 = 154 μm  | Band 4 = 214 μm  |  | High-resolution Airborne Wideband Camera+ for SOFIA[15]
HDF  | 300 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#ffffff;"|450 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#ffffff;"|606 nm  | 814 nm  |  | Hubble Deep Field from the Hubble Space Telescope
IRTF NSFCAM  | J = 1.26 μm  | H = 1.62 μm  | K' = 2.12 μm  | Ks = 2.15 μm  | K = 2.21 μm  | L = 3.50 μm  | L' = 3.78 μm  | M' = 4.78 μm  | M = 4.85 μm  | NASA Infrared Telescope Facility NSFCAM[16]
ISAAC UTI/VLT[17] | Js = 1.2 μm  | H = 1.6 μm  | Ks = 2.2 μm  | L = 3.78 μm  | Brα = 4.07 μm  |  | Infrared Spectrometer And Array Camera at Very Large Telescope
Johnson system (UBV)  | U = 364 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#ffffff;"|B = 442 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#000;"|V = 540 nm  |  | UBV photometric system
Vera C. Rubin Observatory (LSST)[18] | u = 320.5–393.5 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#ffffff;" |g = 401.5–551.9 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#ffffff;" |r = 552.0–691.0 nm  | i = 691.0–818.0 nm  | z = 818.0–923.5 nm  | y = 923.8–1084.5 nm  |  | Vera C. Rubin Observatory
OMC  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#000;" |Johnson V-filter = 500-580 nm  |  | Optical Monitor Camera[19] on INTEGRAL
Pan-STARRS  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#ffffff;"|g = 481 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#ffffff;"|r = 617 nm  | i = 752 nm  | z = 866 nm  | y = 962 nm  |  | Panoramic Survey Telescope And Rapid Response System[20]
ProNaOS/SPM  | Band 1 = 180-240 μm  | Band 2 = 240-340 μm  | Band 3 = 340-540 μm  | Band 4 = 540-1200 μm  |  | PROgramme NAtional d'Observations Submillerètrique/Systéme Photométrique Multibande, balloon-borne experiment[21]
Sloan, SDSS  | u' = 354 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#ffffff;"|g' = 475 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#ffffff;"|r' = 622 nm  | i' = 763 nm  | z' = 905 nm  |  | Sloan Digital Sky Survey
SPIRIT III  | Band B1 = 4.29 μm  | Band B2 = 4.35 μm  | Band A = 8.28 μm  | Band C = 12.13 μm  | Band D = 14.65 μm  | Band E = 21.34 μm  |  | Infrared camera on Midcourse Space Experiment[22]
Spitzer IRAC  | ch1 = 3.6 μm  | ch2 = 4.5 μm  | ch3 = 5.8 μm  | ch4 = 8.0 μm  |  | Infrared Array Camera on Spitzer Space Telescope
Spitzer MIPS  | 24 μm  | 70 μm  | 160 μm  |  | Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer on Spitzer
Stromvil filters  | U = 345 nm  | P = 374 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#ffffff;"|S = 405 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#ffffff;"|Y = 466 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#000;"|Z = 516 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#000;"|V = 544 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#ffffff;"|S = 656 nm  |  | Stromvil photometry
Strömgren filters  | u = 350 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#ffffff;"|v = 411 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#ffffff;" |b = 467 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color"|y = 547 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" |β narrow = 485.8 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color"|β wide = 485 nm  |  | Strömgren photometric system
UKIDSS (WFCAM)  | Z = 882 nm  | Y = 1031 nm  | J = 1248 nm  | H = 1631 nm  | K = 2201 nm  |  | UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey
Vilnius photometric system  | U = 345 nm  | P = 374 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#ffffff;"|S = 405 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#ffffff;"|Y = 466 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#000;"|Z = 516 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#000;"|V = 544 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#ffffff;"|S = 656 nm  |  | Vilnius photometric system
VISTA IRC  | Z = 0.88 μm  | Y = 1.02 μm  | J = 1.25 μm  | H = 1.65 μm  | Ks = 2.20 μm  | NB1.18 = 1.18 μm  |  | Visible & Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy
WISE  | W1 = 3.4 μm  | W2 = 4.6 μm  | W3 = 12 μm  | W4 = 22 μm  |  | Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer
XMM-Newton OM  | UVW2 = 212 nm  | UVM2 = 231 nm  | UVW1 = 291 nm  | U = 344 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#ffffff;"|B = 450 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#000;"|V = 543 nm  |  | XMM-Newton Optical/UV Monitor[23]
XEST Survey  | UVW2 = 212 nm  | UVM2 = 231 nm  | UVW1 = 291 nm  | U = 344 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#ffffff;"|B = 450 nm  | align="center" bgcolor="Template:Wavelength color" style="color:#000;"|V = 543 nm  | J = 1.25 μm  | H = 1.65 μm  | Ks = 2.15 μm  | Survey includes the point source of 2MASS with XMM-Newton OM[24]

Note: colors are only approximate and based on wavelength to sRGB representation (when possible).

## See also

* Photometry
* AB magnitude

## References and footnotes

1. ↑ Bessell, M. S. (2005). "Standard Photometric Systems". Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics 43: 293–336. doi:10.1146/annurev.astro.41.082801.100251. Bibcode: 2005ARA&A..43..293B. https://sites.astro.caltech.edu/~george/ay122/Bessel2005ARAA43p293.pdf.
2. ↑ Spectral Colors
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Binney, J.; Merrifield M. Galactic Astronomy, Princeton University Press, 1998, ch. 2.3.2, pp. 53
4. ↑ Bessell, Michael S. (September 2005). "Standard Photometric Systems". Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics 43 (1): 293–336. doi:10.1146/annurev.astro.41.082801.100251. ISSN 0066-4146. Bibcode: 2005ARA&A..43..293B. http://www.mso.anu.edu.au/~bessell/araapaper.pdf.
5. ↑ Gouda, N.; Yano, T.; Kobayashi, Y.; Yamada, Y. et al. (23 May 2005). "JASMINE: Japan Astrometry Satellite Mission for INfrared Exploration". Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union 2004 (IAUC196): 455–468. doi:10.1017/S1743921305001614. Bibcode: 2005tvnv.conf..455G. "z-band: 0.9 μm".
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 [1] Handbook of Geophysics and the Space Environment 1985, Air Force Geophysics Laboratory, 1985, ed. Adolph S. Jursa, Ch. 25, Table 25-1
7. ↑ "Light wavelength to RGB Converter". https://www.johndcook.com/wavelength_to_RGB.html.
8. ↑ Monson, Andrew J.; Pierce, Michael J. (2011). "Near-Infrared (Jhk) Photometry of 131 Northern Galactic Classical Cepheids". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 193 (1): 12. doi:10.1088/0067-0049/193/1/12. Bibcode: 2011ApJS..193...12M. Example of use of J for "near-infrared"
9. ↑ A study of the Chamaeleon I dark cloud and T-association. II – High-resolution IRAS maps around HD 97048 and 97300, Assendorp, R.; Wesselius, P. R.; Prusti, T.; Whittet, D. C. B., 1990
10. ↑ ADPS
11. ↑ DES
12. ↑ ADPS
13. ↑ Jordi, C.; Gebran, M.; Carrasco, J. M.; de Bruijne, J.; Voss, H.; Fabricius, C.; Knude, J.; Vallenari, A. et al. (2010). "Gaia broad band photometry". Astronomy and Astrophysics 523: A48. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201015441. Bibcode: 2010A&A...523A..48J.
14. ↑ "GALEX Instrument Summary". Goddard Space Flight Center. https://asd.gsfc.nasa.gov/archive/galex/Documents/instrument_summary.html.
15. ↑ "HAWC". http://astro.uchicago.edu/hawc/.
16. ↑ NSFCAM
17. ↑ "ISAAC Overview". Paranal Instrumentation. ESO. http://www.eso.org/sci/facilities/paranal/instruments/isaac/overview.html.
18. ↑ LSST filter characteristics taken from https://github.com/lsst/throughputs/blob/master/baseline/ (see the filter_X.dat files) with the limits at half the peak transmission.
19. ↑ "About INTEGRAL". http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/integral/inthp_about.html.
20. ↑ Tonry, J. L.; Stubbs, C. W.; Lykke, K. R.; Doherty, P.; Shivvers, I. S.; Burgett, W. S.; Chambers, K. C.; Hodapp, K. W. et al. (2012). "THE Pan-STARRS1 PHOTOMETRIC SYSTEM". The Astrophysical Journal 750 (2): 99. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/750/2/99. Bibcode: 2012ApJ...750...99T.
21. ↑ Pajot, F.; Stepnik, B.; Lamarre, J.-M.; Bernard, J.-P.; Dupac, X.; Giard, M.; Lagache, G.; Leriche, B. et al. (2006). "Calibration of the PRONAOS/SPM submillimeter photometer". Astronomy & Astrophysics 447 (2): 769–781. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20034226. Bibcode: 2006A&A...447..769P. http://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/pdf/2006/08/aa0226-03.pdf.
22. ↑ MSXPSC – Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) Point Source Catalog, V2.3
23. ↑ XMM-Newton User's Handbook Sect. 3.5.3.1
24. ↑ Audard, M.; Briggs, K. R.; Grosso, N.; Güdel, M.; Scelsi, L.; Bouvier, J.; Telleschi, A. (2007). "The XMM-Newton Optical Monitor survey of the Taurus molecular cloud". Astronomy & Astrophysics 468 (2): 379–390. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20066320. Bibcode: 2007A&A...468..379A.

1. ↑ Indigo and cyan are not standard colors.[2] Orange, yellow, and green fall under visual bands, while violet and purple are in every blue band.
2. ↑ See Description column of the chart
3. ↑ The width of the band of the curve's 50% upper values (that is, peak) for a natural curve of paradigm source of this light
4. ↑ Delta lambda

## External links

* Johnson, H. L.; Morgan, W. W. (1953), Fundamental stellar photometry for standards of spectral type on the revised system of the Yerkes spectral atlas, The Astrophysical Journal, vol. 117, pp. 313–352 [2]
* The Asiago Database on Photometric Systems
* Michael S. Bessell (2005), STANDARD PHOTOMETRIC SYSTEMS, Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics vol. 43, pp. 293–336
* Infrared portrait of the nearby massive star-forming region IRAS 09002-4732, Apai, D.; Linz, H.; Henning, Th.; Stecklum, B., 2005

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