A probabilistic method for detecting solar-like oscillations using meaningful prior information: Application to TESS 2-minute photometry

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Abstract

Context. Current and future space-based observatories such as the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and PLATO are set to provide an enormous amount of new data on oscillating stars, and in particular stars that oscillate similar to the Sun. Solar-like oscillators constitute the majority of known oscillating stars and so automated analysis methods are becoming an ever increasing necessity to make as much use of these data as possible. Aims. Here we aim to construct an algorithm that can automatically determine if a given time series of photometric measurements shows evidence of solar-like oscillations. The algorithm is aimed at analyzing data from the TESS mission and the future PLATO mission, and in particular stars in the main-sequence and subgiant evolutionary stages. Methods. The algorithm first tests the range of observable frequencies in the power spectrum of a TESS light curve for an excess that is consistent with that expected from solar-like oscillations. In addition, the algorithm tests if a repeating pattern of oscillation frequencies is present in the time series, and whether it is consistent with the large separation seen in solar-like oscillators. Both methods use scaling relations and observations which were established and obtained during the CoRoT, Kepler, and K2 missions. Results. Using a set of test data consisting of visually confirmed solar-like oscillators and nonoscillators observed by TESS, we find that the proposed algorithm can attain a 94.7% true positive (TP) rate and a 8.2% false positive (FP) rate at peak accuracy. However, by applying stricter selection criteria, the FP rate can be reduced to ≈ 2%, while retaining an 80% TP rate.

Original languageEnglish
Article numberA51
JournalAstronomy and Astrophysics
Volume663
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 13 Jul 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
M.B.N., W.H.B., and W.J.C. acknowledge support from the UK Space Agency. G.R.D. and W.J.C. acknowledge the support of the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). This paper has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (CartographY GA. 804752). The authors acknowledge use of the Blue-BEAR HPC service at the University of Birmingham. This paper includes data collected by the Kepler mission and obtained from the MAST data archive at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). Funding for the Kepler mission is provided by the NASA Science Mission Directorate. STScI is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. This work has made use of data from the European Space Agency (ESA) mission Gaia (https://www.cosmos.esa.int/gaia), processed by the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC, https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/ gaia/dpac/consortium). Funding for the DPAC has been provided by national institutions, in particular the institutions participating in the Gaia Multilateral Agreement. This publication makes use of data products from the Two Micron All Sky Survey, which is a joint project of the University of Massachusetts and the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center/California Institute of Technology, funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Science Foundation. This paper includes data collected by the TESS mission. Funding for the TESS mission is provided by the NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

Funding Information:
Acknowledgements. M.B.N., W.H.B., and W.J.C. acknowledge support from the UK Space Agency. G.R.D. and W.J.C. acknowledge the support of the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). This paper has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (CartographY GA. 804752). The authors acknowledge use of the Blue-BEAR HPC service at the University of Birmingham. This paper includes data collected by the Kepler mission and obtained from the MAST data archive at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). Funding for the Kepler mission is provided by the NASA Science Mission Directorate. STScI is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5–26555. This work has made use of data from the European Space Agency (ESA) mission Gaia (https://www.cosmos.esa.int/gaia), processed by the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC, https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/ gaia/dpac/consortium). Funding for the DPAC has been provided by national institutions, in particular the institutions participating in the Gaia Multilateral Agreement. This publication makes use of data products from the Two Micron All Sky Survey, which is a joint project of the University of Massachusetts and the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center/California Institute of Technology, funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Science Foundation. This paper includes data collected by the TESS mission. Funding for the TESS mission is provided by the NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.

Publisher Copyright:
© ESO 2022.

Keywords

  • astro-ph.SR
  • astro-ph.EP
  • Asteroseismology
  • Methods: data analysis
  • Stars: oscillations (including pulsations)
  • Stars: solar-type

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

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