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Developing a New Criterion and Novel Equation to Increase the Accuracy in Exoplanet Searches

CSEF · 2023 Physics & Astronomy Fourth Award

Tran Zoe · 9

Overview

Advancement in transit photometry has led to large transit datasets. Searches of these datasets have yielded exoplanets with low accuracy due to false positives. Common methods of identifying exoplanets such as light curve analysis, an object of interest’s radius, and its Renormalised Unit Weight Error (RUWE) are subjective and limited in effect. To mitigate this, I have developed a method to quantify the light curve data using the changing slope of the light curve with a resultant novel criterion called the light curve delta ratio (LDR). Using the LDR, RUWE, and an object of interest’s radius, I developed a novel mathematical equation that increases the accuracy in identifying exoplanets with a resultant value called Z-factor. Using a test dataset of confirmed exoplanets and non-exoplanets, a threshold limit of greater than 2.00 for the LDR and greater than 1.00 for the Z-factor was determined for exoplanets. This was then validated using a blinded dataset of confirmed exoplanets and non-exoplanets. The LDR alone had a sensitivity and specificity of 80% and 92%, respectively. Whereas, the Z-factor had a sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 92%, 100%, 96%, respectively. The Z-factor was then used to narrow down 50 TESS objects of interest to 36 putative novel exoplanets (a 28% reduction), making this a useful tool in screening large transit datasets.

Source coverage

This record comes from a published award list, not a complete project archive. Its abstract comes from CSEF's public project showcase as archived by the Internet Archive before judging (https://web.archive.org/web/20230401224130/https://ca-csef.zfairs.com/showcase/ShowcaseInfo?f=838e60b7-ea75-46e8-865c-fde4864244b3); the version presented may differ.

Awards (1)

Competition history

  • CSEF 2023 Physics & Astronomy · Entry S1707

Resources

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