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Abstract We present an independent validation and comprehensive recalibration of S-PLUS Ultra-short Survey (USS) DR1 12-band photometry using about 30,000–70,000 standard stars from the Best Star (BEST) database. We identify the spatial variation of zero-point offsets, up to 30–40 mmag for blue filters (u,J0378, andJ0395) and 10 mmag for others, predominantly due to the higher uncertainties of the technique employed in the original USS calibration. Moreover, we detect large- and medium-scale CCD position-dependent systematic errors, up to 50 mmag, primarily caused by different aperture and flat-field corrections. We then recalibrate the USS DR1 photometry by correcting the systematic shifts for each tile using second-order two-dimensional polynomial fitting combined with a numerical stellar flat-field correction method. The recalibrated results from the XP spectrum based synthetic photometry and the stellar color regression standards are consistent within 6 mmag in the USS zero-points, demonstrating both the typical precision of the recalibrated USS photometry and a sixfold improvement in USS zero-point precision. Further validation using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and Pan-STARRS1, as well as LAMOST DR10 and Gaia photometry, also confirms this precision for the recalibrated USS photometry. Our results clearly demonstrate the capability and efficiency of the BEST database in improving calibration precision to the millimagnitude level for wide-field photometric surveys. The recalibrated USS DR1 photometry is publicly available on ChinaVO at doi:10.12149/101503. 

Abstract Over the past decade, several millimeter interferometer programs have mapped the nearby star-forming galaxy M51 at a spatial resolution of ≤170 pc. This study combines observations from three major programs: the PdBI Arcsecond Whirlpool Survey, the SMA M51 large program, and the Surveying the Whirlpool at Arcseconds with NOEMA. The data set includes the (1–0) and (2–1) rotational transitions of¹²CO,¹³CO, and C¹⁸O isotopologues. The observations cover ther< 3 kpc region, including the center and part of the disk, thereby ensuring strong detections of the weaker¹³CO and C¹⁸O lines. All observations are convolved in this analysis to an angular resolution of 4″, corresponding to a physical scale of 170 pc. We investigate empirical line ratio relations and quantitatively evaluate molecular gas conditions such as temperature, density, and the CO-to-H₂conversion factor (α_CO). We employ two approaches to study the molecular gas conditions: (i) assuming local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) to analytically determine the CO column density andα_CO, and (ii) using non-LTE modeling withRADEXto fit physical conditions to observed CO isotopologue intensities. We find that theα_COvalues in the center and along the inner spiral arm are ∼0.5 dex (LTE) and 0.1 dex (non-LTE) below the Milky Way inner disk value. The average non-LTEα_COis 2.4 ± 0.5M_⊙pc⁻²(K km s⁻¹)⁻¹. While both methods show dispersion due to underlying assumptions, the scatter is larger for LTE-derived values. This study underscores the necessity for robust CO line modeling to accurately constrain the molecular interstellar medium’s physical and chemical conditions in nearby galaxies.