Signals embedded in the radial velocity noise

Mikko Tuomi

doi:10.1051/epjconf/20134705003

Proceedings

Open Access

EPJ Web of Conferences 47, 05003 (2013)
https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/20134705003

Signals embedded in the radial velocity noise^*

Mikko Tuomi¹^,2^a^,**

¹ University of Hertfordshire, Centre for Astrophysics Research, Science and Technology Research Institute, College Lane, AL10 9AB Hatfield, UK
² University of Turku, Tuorla Observatory, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Väisäläntie 20, 21500 Piikkiö, Finland

^a e-mail: mikko.tuomi@utu.fi

Abstract

Bayesian data analysis techniques, together with suitable statistical models, can be used to obtain much more information from noisy data than the traditional frequentist methods. For instance, when searching for periodic signals in noisy data, the Bayesian techniques can be used to define exact detection criteria for low-amplitude signals – the most interesting signals that might correspond to habitable planets. We present an overview of Bayesian techniques and present detailed analyses of the HARPS-TERRA velocities of HD 40307, a nearby star observed to host a candidate habitable planet, to demonstrate in practice the applicability of Bayes' rule to astronomical data

Readers are referred to an extended version of this article available at: arxiv.org/abs/1301.3438

^**

The author acknowledges the RoPACS (Rocky Planets Around Cool Stars), a Marie Curie Initial Training Network funded by the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme

© Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2013

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 2.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.