A simple, flexible method for timing cross-calibration of space missions
Matteo Bachetti, Yukikatsu Terada, Megumi Shidatsu, Craig B. Markwardt, Yong Chen, Weiwei Cui, Giancarlo Cusumano, Dawei Han, Shumei Jia, Chulsoo Kang, Vinay L. Kashyap, Lucien Kuiper, Xiaobo Li, Yugo Motogami, Naoyuki Ota, Simone Pagliarella, Katja Pottschmidt, Simon R. Rosen, Arnold Rots, Makoto Sawada, Mutsumi Sugizaki, Toshihiro Takagi, Takuya Takahashi, Toru Tamagawa, Youli Tuo, Yi-Jung Yang, Marina Yoshimoto, Juan Zhang
Published: 2025/9/17
Abstract
The timing (cross-)calibration of astronomical instruments is often done by comparing pulsar times-of-arrival (TOAs) to a reference timing model. In high-energy astronomy, the choice of solar system ephemerides and source positions used to barycenter the photon arrival times has a significant impact on the procedure, requiring a full reprocessing the data each time a new convention is used. Our method, developed as part of the activities of the International Astronomical Consortium for High Energy Calibration (IACHEC), adapts an existing pulsar solution to arbitrary JPL ephemerides and source positions by simulating geocentric TOAs and refitting timing models (implemented with PINT). We validate the procedure and apply it to thousands of observations of the Crab pulsar from 14 missions spanning 2002--2025, demonstrating inter-ephemeris TOA consistency at the $\lesssim5\,\mu$s level, using the DE200/FK5-based Jodrell Bank Monthly Ephemeris as a reference. We release open-source tools (TOAextractor) and a TOA database to support future calibration and scientific studies. Instrument timing performance is broadly consistent with mission specifications; the X-ray-to-radio phase offset varies with energy and time at a level that is marginally compatible with the uncertainties of the radio ephemeris, motivating coordinated multiwavelength follow-up.