Detection of Transiting Exoplanets

Using Kepler Lightcurves

Presenters:
Chris Martin, John Mehlhaff, Nancy Thomas
Mentors:
Eric Agol, Andy Becker, Ben Vega-Westhoff


Exoplanet Transits
Exoplanets may
transit directly in
front of a star
Decrease in
brightness of the
star over time
Difficult to observe

Kepler Space Telescope
Kepler spacecraft was
launched in 2009 into a
heliocentric, Earth-trailing
orbit
1.4 m primary mirror
Life cycle cost of ~ $600 mil
Kepler Field of View contains
around 160,000 stars
Kepler Field of View
Kepler Field of View
Moon
Detrending
Problem: preparing a
lightcurve for QATS
can compromise
essential features
o Transits detrended
out
Solution: implement a
new "pulse-fitting"
detrending
mechanism
QATS
No, not cats
*not how it works
Quasi-Periodic Automated Transit Search
Algorithm
Detection without manual inspection
QATS
PlaceHolder:
Insert the QATS
spectrum
corresponding to
the lightcurve at left
Periods
Signal
Noise
QATS
Quasi-Periodic Automated Transit Search
Algorithm
Detection without manual inspection
PlaceHolder:
Insert a detrended
lightcurve
WITHOUT transits
PlaceHolder:
Insert the QATS
spectrum
corresponding to
the lightcurve at left
Periods
Signal
Noise
QATS: Maximizing
Automation
QATS reduces the
Kepler dataset but
the amount of
output is still large

Automate entire
process iteratively
Detrend
while significant
signal persists:
Run QATS
Interpret
Results
QATS Iterations Example
Simulated Lightcurve
C
o
r
r
f
l
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x

Time (days)
QATS Iterations Example
Simulated Lightcurve
C
o
r
r
f
l
u
x

Time (days)
QATS Iterations Example
Simulated Lightcurve
C
o
r
r
f
l
u
x

Time (days)
QATS Iterations Example
Simulated Lightcurve
C
o
r
r
f
l
u
x

Time (days)
Post QATS refining parameters
Curve Fitting
o modeling systems to offer
constraints on parameters


Phase folding over best fit period
o resolving period



Phase Folding
Period:
13.44255 days
Phase Folding
Period:
13.44652 days

Phase Folding
Period:
13.44724 days
Planets, especially multi-planetary systems
Gravitational Lensing
Binaries & heartbeat binaries
Variable stars



Right now: Scaling QATS detection method
Applications & Future Work
Acknowledgements
Faculty Mentors: Eric Agol, Andy Becker
Graduate Mentor: Ben Vega-Westhoff
Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium
Carlos Chavez

Thank you!

Auxiliary
Auxiliary