No Arabic abstract
For a solar-like star, the surface rotation evolves with time, allowing in principle to estimate the age of a star from its surface rotation period. Here we are interested in measuring surface rotation periods of solar-like stars observed by the NASA Kepler mission. Different methods have been developed to track rotation signals in Kepler photometric light curves: time-frequency analysis based on wavelet techniques, autocorrelation and composite spectrum. We use the learning abilities of random forest classifiers to take decisions during two crucial steps of the analysis. First, given some input parameters, we discriminate the considered Kepler targets between rotating MS stars, non-rotating MS stars, red giants, binaries and pulsators. We then use a second classifier only on the MS rotating targets to decide the best data-analysis treatment.
We use various method to extract surface rotation periods of Kepler targets exhibiting solar-like oscillations and compare their results.
In order to understand stellar evolution, it is crucial to efficiently determine stellar surface rotation periods. An efficient tool to automatically determine reliable rotation periods is needed when dealing with large samples of stellar photometric datasets. The objective of this work is to develop such a tool. Random forest learning abilities are exploited to automate the extraction of rotation periods in Kepler light curves. Rotation periods and complementary parameters are obtained from three different methods: a wavelet analysis, the autocorrelation function of the light curve, and the composite spectrum. We train three different classifiers: one to detect if rotational modulations are present in the light curve, one to flag close binary or classical pulsators candidates that can bias our rotation period determination, and finally one classifier to provide the final rotation period. We test our machine learning pipeline on 23,431 stars of the Kepler K and M dwarf reference rotation catalog of Santos et al. (2019) for which 60% of the stars have been visually inspected. For the sample of 21,707 stars where all the input parameters are provided to the algorithm, 94.2% of them are correctly classified (as rotating or not). Among the stars that have a rotation period in the reference catalog, the machine learning provides a period that agrees within 10% of the reference value for 95.3% of the stars. Moreover, the yield of correct rotation periods is raised to 99.5% after visually inspecting 25.2% of the stars. Over the two main analysis steps, rotation classification and period selection, the pipeline yields a global agreement with the reference values of 92.1% and 96.9% before and after visual inspection. Random forest classifiers are efficient tools to determine reliable rotation periods in large samples of stars. [abridged]
Kepler has revolutionised our understanding of both exoplanets and their host stars. Asteroseismology is a valuable tool in the characterisation of stars and Kepler is an excellent observing facility to perform asteroseismology. Here we select a sample of 35 Kepler solar-type stars which host transiting exoplanets (or planet candidates) with detected solar-like oscillations. Using available Kepler short cadence data up to Quarter 16 we create power spectra optimised for asteroseismology of solar-type stars. We identify modes of oscillation and estimate mode frequencies by ``peak bagging using a Bayesian MCMC framework. In addition, we expand the methodology of quality assurance using a Bayesian unsupervised machine learning approach. We report the measured frequencies of the modes of oscillation for all 35 stars and frequency ratios commonly used in detailed asteroseismic modelling. Due to the high correlations associated with frequency ratios we report the covariance matrix of all frequencies measured and frequency ratios calculated. These frequencies, frequency ratios, and covariance matrices can be used to obtain tight constraint on the fundamental parameters of these planet-hosting stars.
The preliminary results of an analysis of the KIC 5390438 and KIC 5701829 light curves are presented. The variations of these stars were detected by Baran et al. (2011a) in a search for pulsating M dwarfs in the Kepler public database. The objects have been observed by the Kepler spacecraft during the Q2 and Q3 runs in a short-candence mode (integration time of $sim$ 1 min). A Fourier analysis of the time series data has been performed by using the PERIOD04 package. The resulting power spectrum of each star shows a clear excess of power in the frequency range 100 and 350 $mu$Hz with a sequence of spaced peaks typical of solar-like oscillations. A rough estimation of the large and small separations has been obtained. Spectroscopic observations secured at the Observatorio Astronomico Nacional in San Pedro Martir allowed us to derive a spectral classification K2III and K0III for KIC 5390438 and KIC 5701829, respectively. Thus, KIC 5390438 and KIC 5701829 have been identified as solar-like oscillating red giant stars.
We present a study on the determination of rotation periods (P) of solar-like stars from the photometric irregular time-sampling of the ESA Gaia mission, currently scheduled for launch in 2013, taking into account its dependence on ecliptic coordinates. We examine the case of solar-twins as well as thousands of synthetic time-series of solar-like stars rotating faster than the Sun. In the case of solar twins we assume that the Gaia unfiltered photometric passband G will mimic the variability of the total solar irradiance (TSI) as measured by the VIRGO experiment. For stars rotating faster than the Sun, light-curves are simulated using synthetic spectra for the quiet atmosphere, the spots, and the faculae combined by applying semi-empirical relationships relating the level of photospheric magnetic activity to the stellar rotation and the Gaia instrumental response. The capabilities of the Deeming, Lomb-Scargle, and Phase Dispersion Minimisation methods in recovering the correct rotation periods are tested and compared. The false alarm probability (FAP) is computed using Monte Carlo simulations and compared with analytical formulae. The Gaia scanning law makes the rate of correct detection of rotation periods strongly dependent on the ecliptic latitude (beta). We find that for P ~ 1 d, the rate of correct detection increases with ecliptic latitude from 20-30 per cent at beta ~ 0{deg} to a peak of 70 per cent at beta=45{deg}, then it abruptly falls below 10 per cent at beta > 45{deg}. For P > 5 d, the rate of correct detection is quite low and for solar twins is only 5 per cent on average.