49 research outputs found
Difference image analysis: The interplay between the photometric scale factor and systematic photometric errors
Context: Understanding the source of systematic errors in photometry is
essential for their calibration. Aims: We investigate how photometry performed
on difference images can be influenced by errors in the photometric scale
factor. Methods: We explore the equations for difference image analysis (DIA)
and we derive an expression describing how errors in the difference flux, the
photometric scale factor and the reference flux are propagated to the object
photometry. Results: We find that the error in the photometric scale factor is
important, and while a few studies have shown that it can be at a significant
level, it is currently neglected by the vast majority of photometric surveys
employing DIA. Conclusions: Minimising the error in the photometric scale
factor, or compensating for it in a post-calibration model, is crucial for
reducing the systematic errors in DIA photometry.Comment: Accepted A&
A massive exoplanet candidate around KOI-13: Independent confirmation by ellipsoidal variations
We present an analysis of the KOI-13.01 candidate exoplanet system included
in the September 2011 Kepler data release. The host star is a known and
relatively bright visual binary with a separation
significantly smaller (0.8 arcsec) than the size of a Kepler pixel (4 arcsec
per pixel). The Kepler light curve shows both primary and secondary eclipses,
as well as significant out-of-eclipse light curve variations. We confirm that
the transit occurs round the brighter of the two stars. We model the relative
contributions from (i) thermal emission from the companion, (ii) planetary
reflected light, (iii) Doppler beaming, and (iv) ellipsoidal variations in the
host-star arising from the tidal distortion of the host star by its companion.
Our analysis, based on the light curve alone, enables us to constrain the mass
of the KOI-13.01 companion to be and thus
demonstrates that the transiting companion is a planet (rather than a brown
dwarf which was recently proposed by \cite{b7}). The high temperature of the
host star (Spectral Type A5-7V, K), combined with the
proximity of its companion KOI-13.01, may make it one of the hottest exoplanets
known, with a detectable thermal contribution to the light curve even in the
Kepler optical passband. However, the single passband of the Kepler light curve
does not enable us to unambiguously distinguish between the thermal and
reflected components of the planetary emission. Infrared observations may help
to break the degeneracy, while radial velocity follow-up with 100
m s precision should confirm the mass of the planet.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
An algorithm for correcting CoRoT raw light curves
We introduce the CoRoT detrend algorithm (CDA) for detrending CoRoT stellar
light curves. The algorithm CDA has the capability to remove random jumps and
systematic trends encountered in typical CoRoT data in a fully automatic
fashion. Since enormous jumps in flux can destroy the information content of a
light curve, such an algorithm is essential. From a study of 1030 light curves
in the CoRoT IRa01 field, we developed three simple assumptions which upon CDA
is based. We describe the algorithm analytically and provide some examples of
how it works. We demonstrate the functionality of the algorithm in the cases of
CoRoT0102702789, CoRoT0102874481, CoRoT0102741994, and CoRoT0102729260. Using
CDA in the specific case of CoRoT0102729260, we detect a candidate exoplanet
around the host star of spectral type G5, which remains undetected in the raw
light curve, and estimate the planetary parameters to be Rp=6.27Re and P=1.6986
days.Comment: 8 pages, 13 figure
Difference image analysis : automatic kernel design using information criteria
This publication was made possible by NPRP grant # X-019-1-006 from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation).We present a selection of methods for automatically constructing an optimal kernel model for difference image analysis which require very few external parameters to control the kernel design. Each method consists of two components; namely, a kernel design algorithm to generate a set of candidate kernel models, and a model selection criterion to select the simplest kernel model from the candidate models that provides a sufficiently good fit to the target image. We restricted our attention to the case of solving for a spatially invariant convolution kernel composed of delta basis functions, and we considered 19 different kernel solution methods including six employing kernel regularization. We tested these kernel solution methods by performing a comprehensive set of image simulations and investigating how their performance in terms of model error, fit quality, and photometric accuracy depends on the properties of the reference and target images. We find that the irregular kernel design algorithm employing unregularized delta basis functions, combined with either the Akaike or Takeuchi information criterion, is the best kernel solution method in terms of photometric accuracy. Our results are validated by tests performed on two independent sets of real data. Finally, we provide some important recommendations for software implementations of difference image analysis.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
Characterizing Transiting Extrasolar Planets with Narrow-Band Photometry and GTC/OSIRIS
We report the first extrasolar planet observations from the 10.4-m Gran
Telescopio Canarias (GTC), currently the world's largest, fully steerable,
single-aperture optical telescope. We used the OSIRIS tunable filter imager on
the GTC to acquire high-precision, narrow-band photometry of the transits of
the giant exoplanets, TrES-2b and TrES-3b. We obtained near-simultaneous
observations in two near-infrared (NIR) wavebands (790.2 and 794.4 +/- 2.0 nm)
specifically chosen to avoid water vapor absorption and skyglow so as to
minimize the atmospheric effects that often limit the precision of ground-based
photometry. Our results demonstrate a very-high photometric precision with
minimal atmospheric contamination despite relatively poor atmospheric
conditions and some technical problems with the telescope. We find the
photometric precision for the TrES-2 observations to be 0.343 and 0.412 mmag
for the 790.2 and 794.4 nm light curves, and the precision of the TrES-3
observations was found to be 0.470 and 0.424 mmag for the 790.2 and 794.4 nm
light curves. We also discuss how future follow-up observations of transiting
planets with this novel technique can contribute to the characterization of
Neptune- and super-Earth-size planets to be discovered by space-based missions
like CoRoT and Kepler, as well as measure atmospheric properties of giant
planets, such as the strength of atmospheric absorption features.Comment: 9 pages, including 3 figures and 2 tables; accepted for publication
in MNRA
Qatar Exoplanet Survey : Qatar-3b, Qatar-4b and Qatar-5b
We report the discovery of Qatar-3b, Qatar-4b, and Qatar-5b, three new
transiting planets identified by the Qatar Exoplanet Survey (QES). The three
planets belong to the hot Jupiter family, with orbital periods of
=2.50792 days, =1.80539 days, and =2.87923 days.
Follow-up spectroscopic observations reveal the masses of the planets to be
=4.31 , =6.10 , and
= 4.32 , while model fits to the transit light
curves yield radii of = 1.096 , =
1.135 , and = 1.107 . The
host stars are low-mass main sequence stars with masses and radii =
1.145 , = 0.896 ,
= 1.128 and = 1.272 ,
= 0.849 and = 1.076
for Qatar-3, 4 and 5 respectively. The V magnitudes of the three
host stars are =12.88, =13.60, and =12.82. All three
new planets can be classified as heavy hot Jupiters (M > 4 ).Comment: 13Pages, 8Figure