Gaia Data Release 4

Modelling of drift-scan-related effects in Gaia's point spread function

¹ Institute for Astronomy, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ, UK
² Lund Observatory, Division of Astrophysics, Department of Physics, Lund University, Box 43, 22100 Lund, Sweden
³ DAPCOM for Institut de Ciències del Cosmos (ICCUB), Universitat de Barcelona IEEC-UB), Martí Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
⁴ Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC), Esteve Terradas 1, 08860 Castelldefels, Spain
⁵ Institut de Ciències del Cosmos (ICCUB), Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Martí Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
⁶ Departament de Física Quàntica i Astrofísica (FQA), Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
⁷ ESA, European Space Astronomy Centre, Camino Bajo del Castillo s/n, 28691 Villanueva de la Cañada, Spain
⁸ Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA, UK

^★ Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Received: 17 December 2025
Accepted: 19 February 2026

Abstract

Context. An accurate model of the point spread function (PSF) is required in order to estimate positions and brightnesses of stars in digitised images. The PSF of the Gaia space telescope is unusual due to the use of drift-scan mode and time-delayed integration (TDI), in which the satellite spins and precesses while images are captured. This induces several systematic and periodic distortions in the PSF that are unique to Gaia.

Aims. We identify several effects that distort Gaia’s PSF. These include systematic variations in the stellar image drift rate with respect to the charge transfer rate, and spatial variations in the detector response that are, contrary to expectations, not marginalised by the use of TDI mode. These must be incorporated into the PSF model in order to reduce systematic errors in Gaia’s data products.

Methods. We developed a semi-analytic model of the PSF, in which the blurring effects of along- and across-scan stellar image motion are modelled analytically, and dependences of the PSF shape on source colour and position within the detector are calibrated empirically. We introduced constraints on the PSF origin in order to break a degeneracy with the geometric instrument calibration.

Results. Our PSF model successfully reproduces several drift-scan-related effects and leads to significant improvements in the modelling of observations, particularly around the 11-13 magnitude range in Gaia’s G band. This will contribute to reductions in the astrometric and photometric uncertainties in the derived data products.

Conclusions. Our PSF model represents a significant advance over earlier models applied to Gaia data. It was deployed in the Gaia cyclic data processing systems and used in the production of the forthcoming Data Release 4. The linear part of Gaia ’s PSF is now well understood. Future development work will focus on optimised configuration of the model, and the handling of several non-linear effects that depend on the signal level, including charge transfer inefficiency and the brighter-fatter effect. This work provides a useful reference for users of Gaia data and for other missions that use the same observing principles, in particular the proposed GaiaNIR mission.