Processing CCD images to detect transits of Earth-sized planets: maximizing sensitivity while achieving reasonable downlink requirements

Details Processing CCD images to detect transits of Earth-sized planets: maximizing sensitivity while achieving reasonable downlink requirements Processing CCD images to detect transits of Earth-sized planets: maximizing sensitivity while achieving reasonable downlink requirements

Jul 2000

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2000spie.4013..520j&link_type=abstract

Proc. SPIE Vol. 4013, p. 520-531, UV, Optical, and IR Space Telescopes and Instruments, James B. Breckinridge; Peter Jakobsen; E

Physics

10

Scientific paper

We have performed end-to-end laboratory and numerical simulations to demonstrate the capability of differential photometry under realistic operating conditions to detect transits of Earth-sized planets orbiting solar-like stars. Data acquisition and processing were conducted using the same methods planned for the proposed Kepler Mission. These included performing aperture photometry on large-format CCD images of an artificial star fields obtained without a shutter at a readout rate of 1 megapixel/sec, detecting and removing cosmic rays from individual exposures and making the necessary corrections for nonlinearity and shutterless operation in the absence of darks. We will discuss the image processing tasks performed `on-board' the simulated spacecraft, which yielded raw photometry and ancillary data used to monitor and correct for systematic effects, and the data processing and analysis tasks conducted to obtain lightcurves from the raw data and characterize the detectability of transits. The laboratory results are discussed along with the results of a numerical simulation carried out in parallel with the laboratory simulation. These two simulations demonstrate that a system-level differential photometric precision of 10-5 on five- hour intervals can be achieved under realistic conditions.

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