Simu-LC : a Light-Curve simulator for CoRoT

TL;DR

Simu-LC is a comprehensive, freely available simulation tool designed to generate realistic CoRoT light curves, incorporating technical and physical effects to aid in data analysis preparation and instrument behavior understanding.

Contribution

This paper introduces Simu-LC, a new simulation software that models CoRoT light curves with detailed physical and technical effects, enhancing data analysis readiness.

Findings

Simu-LC effectively simulates photon noise, stellar oscillations, and orbital perturbations.

The tool helps prepare for unexpected instrument or stellar behavior.

Simu-LC is freely accessible for the scientific community.

Abstract

Simulating the data that a space instrument like COROT will provide might look presomptuous. Indeed, it is certainly, when comparing to previous comparable instruments like IPHIR or GOLF. These two examples show that the nominal behaviour of the instrument is not always reached, but this does not prevent this instrument to provide very interesting data. However, despite some technical problems, IPHIR and GOLF yielded a wealth of scientific results. Thus, what is the interest of simulating COROT data? How close to reality these simualtions will get? This might not be the most important fact as the preparation of these simulations will help us to prepare the analysis of real data and to be ready in case of unexpected technical behaviour of the instrument perturbating the data, or unexpected physical behaviour of the targets of the instrument. A consequence of that is that the simulation tool must include technical and physical aspects, making the task even more difficult. These aspects cover: photon noise, p modes excitation, granulation signal, stellar activity signal, orbital perturbations, stellar rotation... The software presented here is freely available at: http://www.lesia.obspm.fr/~corotswg/simulightcurve.html