Abstract High-fidelity simulators that connect theoretical models with observations are indispensable tools in many sciences. If the likelihood is known, inference can proceed using standard techniques. However, when the likelihood is intractable or unknown, a simulator makes it possible to infer the parameters of a theoretical model directly from real and simulated observations when coupled with machine learning. We introduce an extension of the recently proposed likelihood-free frequentist inference (LF2I) approach that makes it possible to construct confidence sets with thep-value function and to use the same function to check the coverage explicitly at any given parameter point. LikeLF2I, this extension yields provably valid confidence sets in parameter inference problems for which a high-fidelity simulator is available. The utility of our algorithm is illustrated by applying it to three pedagogically interesting examples: the first is from cosmology, the second from high-energy physics and astronomy, both with tractable likelihoods, while the third, with an intractable likelihood, is from epidemiology33Code to reproduce all of our results is available onhttps://github.com/AliAlkadhim/ALFFI..
more »
« less
Llamaradas Estelares: Modeling the Morphology of White-light Flares
Abstract Stellar variability is a limiting factor for planet detection and characterization, particularly around active M-type stars. Here we revisit one of the most active stars from the Kepler mission, the M4 star GJ 1243, and use a sample of 414 flare events from 11 months of 1-minute cadence light curves to study the empirical morphology of white-light stellar flares. We use a Gaussian process detrending technique to account for the underlying starspots. We present an improved analytic, continuous flare template that is generated by stacking the flares onto a scaled time and amplitude and uses a Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis to fit the model. Our model is defined using classical flare events but can also be used to model complex, multipeaked flare events. We demonstrate the utility of our model using TESS data at the 10-minute, 2-minute, and 20 s cadence modes. Our new flare model code is made publicly available on GitHub.55https://github.com/lupitatovar/Llamaradas-Estelares
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 1907342
- PAR ID:
- 10368333
- Publisher / Repository:
- DOI PREFIX: 10.3847
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- The Astronomical Journal
- Volume:
- 164
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 0004-6256
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: Article No. 17
- Size(s):
- Article No. 17
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
Abstract Ground-based high-resolution cross-correlation spectroscopy (HRCCS;R ≳ 15,000) is a powerful complement to space-based studies of exoplanet atmospheres. By resolving individual spectral lines, HRCCS can precisely measure chemical abundance ratios, directly constrain atmospheric dynamics, and robustly probe multidimensional physics. But the subtleties of HRCCS data sets—e.g., the lack of exoplanetary spectra visible by eye and the statistically complex process of telluric removal—can make interpreting them difficult. In this work, we seek to clarify the uncertainty budget of HRCCS with a forward-modeling approach. We present an HRCCS observation simulator,scope,55https://github.com/arjunsavel/scopethat incorporates spectral contributions from the exoplanet, star, tellurics, and instrument. This tool allows us to control the underlying data set, enabling controlled experimentation with complex HRCCS methods. Simulating a fiducial hot Jupiter data set (WASP-77Ab emission with IGRINS), we first confirm via multiple tests that the commonly used principal component analysis does not bias the planetary signal when few components are used. Furthermore, we demonstrate that mildly varying tellurics and moderate wavelength solution errors induce only mild decreases in HRCCS detection significance. However, limiting-case, strongly varying tellurics can bias the retrieved velocities and gas abundances. Additionally, in the low signal-to-noise ratio limit, constraints on gas abundances become highly non-Gaussian. Our investigation of the uncertainties and potential biases inherent in HRCCS data analysis enables greater confidence in scientific results from this maturing method.more » « less
-
Abstract In this work, we present classification results on early supernova light curves from SCONE, a photometric classifier that uses convolutional neural networks to categorize supernovae (SNe) by type using light-curve data. SCONE is able to identify SN types from light curves at any stage, from the night of initial alert to the end of their lifetimes. Simulated LSST SNe light curves were truncated at 0, 5, 15, 25, and 50 days after the trigger date and used to train Gaussian processes in wavelength and time space to produce wavelength–time heatmaps. SCONE uses these heatmaps to perform six-way classification between SN types Ia, II, Ibc, Ia-91bg, Iax, and SLSN-I. SCONE is able to perform classification with or without redshift, but we show that incorporating redshift information improves performance at each epoch. SCONE achieved 75% overall accuracy at the date of trigger (60% without redshift), and 89% accuracy 50 days after trigger (82% without redshift). SCONE was also tested on bright subsets of SNe (r< 20 mag) and produced 91% accuracy at the date of trigger (83% without redshift) and 95% five days after trigger (94.7% without redshift). SCONE is the first application of convolutional neural networks to the early-time photometric transient classification problem. All of the data processing and model code developed for this paper can be found in the SCONE software package11github.com/helenqu/sconelocated at github.com/helenqu/scone (Qu 2021).more » « less
-
Abstract Stellar flares are short-duration (< hours) bursts of radiation associated with surface magnetic reconnection events. Stellar magnetic activity generally decreases as a function of both the age and Rossby number,R0, a measure of the relative importance of the convective and rotational dynamos. Young stars (<300 Myr) have typically been overlooked in population-level flare studies due to challenges with flare-detection methods. Here, we select a sample of stars that are members of 26 nearby moving groups, clusters, or associations with ages <300 Myr that have been observed by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite at 2 minute cadence. We identified 26,355 flares originating from 3160 stars and robustly measured the rotation periods of 1847 stars. We measure and find the flare frequency distribution slope,α, saturates for all spectral types atα∼ −0.5 and is constant over 300 Myr. Additionally, we find that flare rates for starstage= 50–250 Myr are saturated belowR0< 0.14, which is consistent with other indicators of magnetic activity. We find evidence of annual flare rate variability in eleven stars, potentially correlated with long-term stellar activity cycles. Additionally, we crossmatch our entire sample with the Galaxy Evolution Explorer and find no correlation between flare rate and far- and near-ultraviolet flux. Finally, we find the flare rates of planet-hosting stars are relatively lower than comparable, larger samples of stars, which may have ramifications for the atmospheric evolution of short-period exoplanets.more » « less
-
Abstract Nuclear star clusters (NSCs), made up of a dense concentration of stars and the compact objects they leave behind, are ubiquitous in the central regions of galaxies surrounding the central supermassive black hole (SMBH). Close interactions between stars and stellar-mass black holes (sBHs) lead to tidal disruption events (TDEs). We uncover an interesting new phenomenon: for a subset of these, the unbound debris (to the sBH) remains bound to the SMBH, accreting at a later time, thus giving rise to a second flare. We compute the rate of such events and find them ranging within 10−6–10−3yr−1gal−1for SMBH mass ≃106–109M⊙. Time delays between the two flares spread over a wide range, from less than a year to hundreds of years. The temporal evolution of the light curves of the second flare can vary between the standardt−5/3power law to much steeper decays, providing a natural explanation for observed light curves in tension with the classical TDE model. Our predictions have implications for learning about NSC properties and calibrating its sBH population. Some double flares may be electromagnetic counterparts to LISA extreme-mass-ratio inspiral sources. Another important implication is the possible existence of TDE-like events in very massive SMBHs, where TDEs are not expected. Such flares can affect spin measurements relying on TDEs in the upper SMBH range.more » « less
An official website of the United States government
