An Application of Multi-band Forced Photometry to One Square Degree of
  SERVS: Accurate Photometric Redshifts and Implications for Future Science
  We apply The Tractor image modeling code to improve upon existing multi-band
photometry for the Spitzer Extragalactic Representative Volume Survey (SERVS).
SERVS consists of post-cryogenic Spitzer observations at 3.6 and 4.5 micron
over five well-studied deep fields spanning 18 square degrees. In concert with
data from ground-based near-infrared (NIR) and optical surveys, SERVS aims to
provide a census of the properties of massive galaxies out to z ~ 5. To
accomplish this, we are using The Tractor to perform "forced photometry." This
technique employs prior measurements of source positions and surface brightness
profiles from a high-resolution fiducial band from the VISTA Deep Extragalactic
Observations (VIDEO) survey to model and fit the fluxes at lower-resolution
bands. We discuss our implementation of The Tractor over a square degree test
region within the XMM-LSS field with deep imaging in 12 NIR/optical bands. Our
new multi-band source catalogs offer a number of advantages over traditional
position-matched catalogs, including 1) consistent source cross-identification
between bands, 2) de-blending of sources that are clearly resolved in the
fiducial band but blended in the lower-resolution SERVS data, 3) a higher
source detection fraction in each band, 4) a larger number of candidate
galaxies in the redshift range 5 < z < 6, and 5) a statistically significant
improvement in the photometric redshift accuracy as evidenced by the
significant decrease in the fraction of outliers compared to spectroscopic
redshifts. Thus, forced photometry using The Tractor offers a means of
improving the accuracy of multi-band extragalactic surveys designed for galaxy
evolution studies. We will extend our application of this technique to the full
SERVS footprint in the future.
