Clustering redshift distribution calibration of weak lensing surveys using the DESI-DR1 spectroscopic dataset

@article{ruggeri2026clustering,
  title = {{Clustering redshift distribution calibration of weak lensing surveys using the DESI-DR1 spectroscopic dataset}},
  author = {R. Ruggeri and J. Aguilar and C. Blake and S. Ahlen and D. Bianchi and D. Brooks and F. J. Castander and T. Claybaugh and A. Cuceu and K. S. Dawson and A. de la Macorra and B. Dey and P. Doel and A. Elliott and N. Emas and S. Ferraro and A. Font-Ribera and J. E. Forero-Romero and C. Garcia-Quintero and E. Gaztañaga and S. Gontcho A Gontcho and G. Gutierrez and J. Guy and B. Hadzhiyska and H. K. Herrera-Alcantar and S. Heydenreich and K. Honscheid and C. Howlett and D. Huterer and M. Ishak and S. Joudaki and R. Joyce and D. Kirkby and A. Krolewski and O. Lahav and M. Landriau and J. U. Lange and C. Lamman and A. Leauthaud and M. E. Levi and M. Manera and A. Meisner and R. Miquel and J. Moustakas and S. Nadathur and J. A. Newman and W. J. Percival and C. Poppett and A. Porredon and F. Prada and I. Pérez-Ràfols and A. Robertson and G. Rossi and E. Sanchez and C. Saulder and D. Schlegel and M. Schubnell and A. Semenaite and H. Seo and J. Silber},
  journal = {The Open Journal of Astrophysics},
  year = {2026},
  month = nov,
  doi = {10.33232/001c.173639},
  url = {https://astro.theoj.org/article/173639-clustering-redshift-distribution-calibration-of-weak-lensing-surveys-using-the-desi-dr1-spectroscopic-dataset},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Clustering redshift distribution calibration of weak lensing surveys using the DESI-DR1 spectroscopic dataset
AU  - R. Ruggeri
AU  - J. Aguilar
AU  - C. Blake
AU  - S. Ahlen
AU  - D. Bianchi
AU  - D. Brooks
AU  - F. J. Castander
AU  - T. Claybaugh
AU  - A. Cuceu
AU  - K. S. Dawson
AU  - A. de la Macorra
AU  - B. Dey
AU  - P. Doel
AU  - A. Elliott
AU  - N. Emas
AU  - S. Ferraro
AU  - A. Font-Ribera
AU  - J. E. Forero-Romero
AU  - C. Garcia-Quintero
AU  - E. Gaztañaga
AU  - S. Gontcho A Gontcho
AU  - G. Gutierrez
AU  - J. Guy
AU  - B. Hadzhiyska
AU  - H. K. Herrera-Alcantar
AU  - S. Heydenreich
AU  - K. Honscheid
AU  - C. Howlett
AU  - D. Huterer
AU  - M. Ishak
AU  - S. Joudaki
AU  - R. Joyce
AU  - D. Kirkby
AU  - A. Krolewski
AU  - O. Lahav
AU  - M. Landriau
AU  - J. U. Lange
AU  - C. Lamman
AU  - A. Leauthaud
AU  - M. E. Levi
AU  - M. Manera
AU  - A. Meisner
AU  - R. Miquel
AU  - J. Moustakas
AU  - S. Nadathur
AU  - J. A. Newman
AU  - W. J. Percival
AU  - C. Poppett
AU  - A. Porredon
AU  - F. Prada
AU  - I. Pérez-Ràfols
AU  - A. Robertson
AU  - G. Rossi
AU  - E. Sanchez
AU  - C. Saulder
AU  - D. Schlegel
AU  - M. Schubnell
AU  - A. Semenaite
AU  - H. Seo
AU  - J. Silber
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/11/06
JO  - The Open Journal of Astrophysics
DO  - 10.33232/001c.173639
UR  - https://astro.theoj.org/article/173639-clustering-redshift-distribution-calibration-of-weak-lensing-surveys-using-the-desi-dr1-spectroscopic-dataset
AB  - We estimate the source redshift distribution of current weak lensing surveys by applying the clustering-based redshift calibration technique, using the galaxy redshift sample provided by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument Data Release 1 (DESI-DR1). We cross-correlate the Bright Galaxy Survey (BGS), Luminous Red Galaxies (LRGs) and Emission Line Galaxies (ELGs) from DESI, within the redshift range 0.1 < z < 1.6 , with overlapping tomographic source samples from the Dark Energy Survey (DES), Kilo-Degree Survey (KiDS), and Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) survey. Using realistic mock catalogues, we test the stability of the clustering redshift signal to fitting scale, reference-sample choice, and the evolution of source galaxy bias. We calibrate a source galaxy bias correction from simulations with conservative (factor-of-two inflated) priors to account for modelling uncertainties, and we explicitly model and marginalise over magnification contributions, which become non-negligible at z ≳ 1 due to the depth of the DESI ELG sample. We then compare the resulting bias-weighted redshift distributions to previously calibrated redshift distributions from the literature, based on self-organising map (SOM) techniques, finding agreement within uncertainties for all surveys and tomographic bins. Our results demonstrate that clustering redshifts enabled by DESI’s unprecedented spectroscopic sample provide a robust, complementary, and independent constraint capable of reducing one of the dominant systematic uncertainties in weak lensing cosmology.
SN  - 2565-6120
ER  -