scholarly journals Future Observations of Transits and Light Curves from Space

2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (S253) ◽  
pp. 319-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles A. Beichman ◽  
Tom Greene ◽  
John Krist

AbstractA variety of new observational opportunities have made transit and more generally light curve analysis central to the study of exoplanets. Talks at this IAU 253 Symposium have dramatically highlighted the measurement of the radius, density, atmospheric composition and atmospheric thermal structure, presently for relatively large, hot planets, but soon for smaller planets orbiting further from their host stars. On-going and future space observations will play a key role in the detection and characterization of these planetary systems. After a brief review, I focus on two topics: the need for a sensitive all-sky survey for planets transiting the brightest, closest stars and the follow-up opportunities afforded by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

2021 ◽  
Vol 502 (1) ◽  
pp. 1299-1311
Author(s):  
Heidi B Thiemann ◽  
Andrew J Norton ◽  
Hugh J Dickinson ◽  
Adam McMaster ◽  
Ulrich C Kolb

ABSTRACT We present the first analysis of results from the SuperWASP variable stars Zooniverse project, which is aiming to classify 1.6 million phase-folded light curves of candidate stellar variables observed by the SuperWASP all sky survey with periods detected in the SuperWASP periodicity catalogue. The resultant data set currently contains >1 million classifications corresponding to >500 000 object–period combinations, provided by citizen–scientist volunteers. Volunteer-classified light curves have ∼89 per cent accuracy for detached and semidetached eclipsing binaries, but only ∼9 per cent accuracy for rotationally modulated variables, based on known objects. We demonstrate that this Zooniverse project will be valuable for both population studies of individual variable types and the identification of stellar variables for follow-up. We present preliminary findings on various unique and extreme variables in this analysis, including long-period contact binaries and binaries near the short-period cut-off, and we identify 301 previously unknown binaries and pulsators. We are now in the process of developing a web portal to enable other researchers to access the outputs of the SuperWASP variable stars project.


2019 ◽  
Vol 627 ◽  
pp. A21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Pasquet ◽  
Jérôme Pasquet ◽  
Marc Chaumont ◽  
Dominique Fouchez

We developed a deeP architecturE for the LIght Curve ANalysis (PELICAN) for the characterization and the classification of supernovae light curves. It takes light curves as input, without any additional features. PELICAN can deal with the sparsity and the irregular sampling of light curves. It is designed to remove the problem of non-representativeness between the training and test databases coming from the limitations of the spectroscopic follow-up. We applied our methodology on different supernovae light curve databases. First, we tested PELICAN on the Supernova Photometric Classification Challenge for which we obtained the best performance ever achieved with a non-representative training database, by reaching an accuracy of 0.811. Then we tested PELICAN on simulated light curves of the LSST Deep Fields for which PELICAN is able to detect 87.4% of supernovae Ia with a precision higher than 98%, by considering a non-representative training database of 2k light curves. PELICAN can be trained on light curves of LSST Deep Fields to classify light curves of the LSST main survey, which have a lower sampling rate and are more noisy. In this scenario, it reaches an accuracy of 96.5% with a training database of 2k light curves of the Deep Fields. This constitutes a pivotal result as type Ia supernovae candidates from the main survey might then be used to increase the statistics without additional spectroscopic follow-up. Finally we tested PELICAN on real data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. PELICAN reaches an accuracy of 86.8% with a training database composed of simulated data and a fraction of 10% of real data. The ability of PELICAN to deal with the different causes of non-representativeness between the training and test databases, and its robustness against survey properties and observational conditions, put it in the forefront of light curve classification tools for the LSST era.


2018 ◽  
Vol 620 ◽  
pp. A203 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Moya ◽  
S. Barceló Forteza ◽  
A. Bonfanti ◽  
S. J. A. J. Salmon ◽  
V. Van Grootel ◽  
...  

Context. Asteroseismology has been impressively boosted during the last decade mainly thanks to space missions such as Kepler/K2 and CoRoT. This has a large impact, in particular, in exoplanetary sciences since the accurate characterization of the exoplanets is convoluted in most cases with the characterization of their hosting star. In the decade before the expected launch of the ESA mission PLATO 2.0, only two important missions will provide short-cadence high-precision photometric time-series: NASA–TESS and ESA–CHEOPS missions, both having high capabilities for exoplanetary sciences. Aims. In this work we want to explore the asteroseismic potential of CHEOPS time-series. Methods. Following the works estimating the asteroseismic potential of Kepler and TESS, we have analysed the probability of detecting solar-like pulsations using CHEOPS light-curves. Since CHEOPS will collect runs with observational times from hours up to a few days, we have analysed the accuracy and precision we can obtain for the estimation of νmax. This is the only asteroseismic observable we can recover using CHEOPS observations. Finally, we have analysed the impact of knowing νmax in the characterization of exoplanet host stars. Results. Using CHEOPS light-curves with the expected observational times we can determine νmax for massive G and F-type stars from late main sequence (MS) on, and for F, G, and K-type stars from post-main sequence on with an uncertainty lower than a 5%. For magnitudes V <  12 and observational times from eight hours up to two days, the HR zone of potential detectability changes. The determination of νmax leads to an internal age uncertainty reduction in the characterization of exoplanet host stars from 52% to 38%; mass uncertainty reduction from 2.1% to 1.8%; radius uncertainty reduction from 1.8% to 1.6%; density uncertainty reduction from 5.6% to 4.7%, in our best scenarios.


2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (S293) ◽  
pp. 378-381
Author(s):  
Gerard T. van Belle ◽  
Kaspar von Braun ◽  
Tabetha Boyajian ◽  
Gail Schaefer

AbstractExoplanet transit events are attractive targets for the ultrahigh-resolution capabilities afforded by optical interferometers. The intersection of two developments in astronomy enable direct imaging of exoplanet transits: first, improvements in sensitivity and precision of interferometric instrumentation; and second, identification of ever-brighter host stars. Efforts are underway for the first direct high-precision detection of closure phase signatures with the CHARA Array and Navy Precision Optical Interferometer. When successful, these measurements will enable recovery of the transit position angle on the sky, along with characterization of other system parameters, such as stellar radius, planet radius, and other parameters of the transit event. This technique can directly determine the planet's radius independent of any outside observations, and appears able to improve substantially upon other determinations of that radius; it will be possible to extract wavelength dependence of that radius determination, for connection to characterization of planetary atmospheric composition & structure. Additional directly observed parameters - also not dependent on transit photometry or spectroscopy - include impact parameter, transit ingress time, and transit velocity.


2019 ◽  
Vol 622 ◽  
pp. A71 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. von Essen ◽  
M. Mallonn ◽  
L. Welbanks ◽  
N. Madhusudhan ◽  
A. Pinhas ◽  
...  

There has been increasing progress toward detailed characterization of exoplanetary atmospheres, in both observations and theoretical methods. Improvements in observational facilities and data reduction and analysis techniques are enabling increasingly higher quality spectra, especially from ground-based facilities. The high data quality also necessitates concomitant improvements in models required to interpret such data. In particular, the detection of trace species such as metal oxides has been challenging. Extremely irradiated exoplanets (~3000 K) are expected to show oxides with strong absorption signals in the optical. However, there are only a few hot Jupiters where such signatures have been reported. Here we aim to characterize the atmosphere of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-33 b using two primary transits taken 18 orbits apart. Our atmospheric retrieval, performed on the combined data sets, provides initial constraints on the atmospheric composition of WASP-33 b. We report a possible indication of aluminum oxide (AlO) at 3.3-σ significance. The data were obtained with the long slit OSIRIS spectrograph mounted at the 10-m Gran Telescopio Canarias. We cleaned the brightness variations from the light curves produced by stellar pulsations, and we determined the wavelength-dependent variability of the planetary radius caused by the atmospheric absorption of stellar light. A simultaneous fit to the two transit light curves allowed us to refine the transit parameters, and the common wavelength coverage between the two transits served to contrast our results. Future observations with HST as well as other large ground-based facilities will be able to further constrain the atmospheric chemical composition of the planet.


2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (S318) ◽  
pp. 321-323
Author(s):  
Tim A. Lister ◽  
S. Greenstreet ◽  
E. Gomez ◽  
E. Christensen ◽  
S. Larson

AbstractLas Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGT) has deployed a homogeneous telescope network of nine 1-meter telescopes to four locations in the northern and southern hemispheres, with a planned network size of twelve 1-meter telescopes at 6 locations. This network is very versatile and is designed to respond rapidly to target of opportunity events and also to perform long term monitoring of slowly changing astronomical phenomena. The global coverage of the network and the apertures of telescope available make LCOGT ideal for follow-up and characterization of Solar System objects (e.g. asteroids, Kuiper Belt Objects, comets, Near-Earth Objects (NEOs)) and additionally for the discovery of new objects.We are using the LCOGT network to confirm newly detected NEO candidates produced by the major sky surveys such as Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) and PanSTARRS (PS1&2) and several hundred targets are now being followed per year. An increasing amount of time is being spent to obtain follow-up astrometry and photometry for radar-targeted objects and those on the Near-Earth Object Human Space Flight Accessible Targets Study (NHATS) or Asteroid Retrieval Mission (ARM) lists in order to improve the orbits, determine the light curves and rotation periods and improve the characterization. This will be extended to obtain more light curves of other NEOs which could be targets. Recent results have included the first period determinations for several of the Goldstone-targeted NEOs. We are in the process of building a NEO follow-up portal which will allow professionals, amateurs and Citizen Scientists to plan, schedule and analyze NEO imaging and spectroscopy observations and data using the LCOGT Network and to act as a co-ordination hub for the NEO follow-up efforts.


2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (S273) ◽  
pp. 281-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Boisse ◽  
François Bouchy ◽  
Guillaume Hébrard ◽  
Xavier Bonfils ◽  
Nuno Santos ◽  
...  

AbstractPhotospheric stellar activity (i.e. dark spots or bright plages) might be an important source of noise and confusion in the radial-velocity (RV) measurements. Radial-velocimetry planet search surveys as well as follow-up of photometric transit surveys require a deeper understanding and characterization of the effects of stellar activities to disentangle it from planetary signals.We simulate dark spots on a rotating stellar photosphere. The variations of the RV are characterized and analyzed according to the stellar inclination, the latitude and the number of spots. The Lomb-Scargle periodograms of the RV variations induced by activity present power at the rotational period Prot of the star and its two-first harmonics Prot/2 and Prot/3. Three adjusted sinusoids fixed at the fundamental period and its two-first harmonics allow to remove about 90% of the RV jitter amplitude. We apply and validate our approach on four known active planet-host stars: HD 189733, GJ 674, CoRoT-7 and ι Hor. We succeed in fitting simultaneously activity and planetary signals on GJ674 and CoRoT-7. We excluded short-period low-mass exoplanets around ι Hor. Our approach is efficient to disentangle reflex-motion due to a planetary companion and stellar-activity induced-RV variations provided that 1) the planetary orbital period is not close to that of the stellar rotation or one of its two-first harmonics, 2) the rotational period of the star is accurately known, 3) the data cover more than one stellar rotational period.


2019 ◽  
Vol 487 (2) ◽  
pp. 1634-1652 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Y Burdanov ◽  
S M Lederer ◽  
M Gillon ◽  
L Delrez ◽  
E Ducrot ◽  
...  

Abstract The TRAPPIST-1 planetary system is a favourable target for the atmospheric characterization of temperate earth-sized exoplanets by means of transmission spectroscopy with the forthcoming James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). A possible obstacle to this technique could come from the photospheric heterogeneity of the host star that could affect planetary signatures in the transit transmission spectra. To constrain further this possibility, we gathered an extensive photometric data set of 25 TRAPPIST-1 transits observed in the near-IR J band (1.2 μm) with the UKIRT and the AAT, and in the NB2090 band (2.1 μm) with the VLT during the period 2015–18. In our analysis of these data, we used a special strategy aiming to ensure uniformity in our measurements and robustness in our conclusions. We reach a photometric precision of 0.003 (RMS of the residuals), and we detect no significant temporal variations of transit depths of TRAPPIST-1 b, c, e, and g over the period of 3 yr. The few transit depths measured for planets d and f hint towards some level of variability, but more measurements will be required for confirmation. Our depth measurements for planets b and c disagree with the stellar contamination spectra originating from the possible existence of bright spots of temperature 4500 K. We report updated transmission spectra for the six inner planets of the system which are globally flat for planets b and g and some structures are seen for planets c, d, e, and f.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Morvan ◽  
Nikos Nikolau ◽  
Angelos Tsiaras ◽  
Ingo Waldmann

&lt;p&gt;The precise derivation of transit depths from stellar light curves is a key component in the construction of exoplanet transit spectra, and thereby for the characterization of exoplanet atmospheres. However, it is still deeply affected by various kinds of complex systematic errors and noises taking their source from host stars&amp;#8217; or instruments&amp;#8217; variability. On the other hand, as the volume of exoplanetary data is quickly increasing, a new way is being opened up for using machine learning as part of the data processing pipeline. By training a recurrent neural network to model the temporal dependencies in stellar light curves, our results on both real on simulated light curves highlight that it is possible to:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Model accurately the compound of trends and periodic effects with few or no assumptions about the instrument, star, or planetary signals&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Improve the understanding of each instrument&amp;#8217;s systematic behaviour&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Optimise a deep detrending model jointly with a transit fit&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Leverage the cross-light curves and cross-instruments information&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;Such an approach therefore paves the way for a global, flexible and efficient noise-correction pipeline which will be of paramount importance to make the most of exoplanets observations and provide high precision spectra to subsequent atmospheric retrieval pipelines.&lt;/p&gt;


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