Planetary Candidates Observed by Kepler. VIII. A Fully Automated Catalog With Measured Completeness and Reliability Based on Data Release 25 [EPA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/1710.06758


We present the Kepler Object of Interest (KOI) catalog of transiting exoplanets based on searching four years of Kepler time series photometry (Data Release 25, Q1–Q17). The catalog contains 8054 KOIs of which 4034 are planet candidates with periods between 0.25 and 632 days. Of these candidates, 219 are new in this catalog and include two new candidates in multi-planet systems (KOI-82.06 and KOI-2926.05), and ten new high-reliability, terrestrial-size, habitable zone candidates. This catalog was created using a tool called the Robovetter which automatically vets the DR25 Threshold Crossing Events (TCEs) found by the Kepler Pipeline Twicken et al. (2016). Because of this automation, we were also able to vet simulated data sets and therefore measure how well the Robovetter separates those TCEs caused by noise from those caused by low signal-to-noise transits. Because of these measurements we fully expect that this catalog can be used to accurately calculate the frequency of planets out to Kepler’s detection limit, which includes temperate, super-Earth size planets around GK dwarf stars in our Galaxy. This paper discusses the Robovetter and the metrics it uses to decide which TCEs are called planet candidates in the DR25 KOI catalog. We also discuss the simulated transits, simulated systematic noise, and simulated astrophysical false positives created in order to characterize the properties of the final catalog. We describe how we measure the completeness and reliability and how they vary with period, signal-to-noise, number of transits, and stellar type. Also, we discuss a value called the disposition score which provides an easy way to select a more reliable, albeit less complete, sample of candidates. The entire KOI catalog and all of the simulated data used to characterize this catalog are available at the NASA Exoplanet Archive.

Read this paper on arXiv…

S. Thompson, J. Coughlin, K. Hoffman, et. al.
Thu, 19 Oct 17
18/61

Comments: 60 pages, 23 Figures, 9 Tables, Submitted to ApJS