Overview of the Kepler Science Processing Pipeline

TL;DR

The paper describes the comprehensive data processing pipeline of the Kepler Mission, detailing how raw photometric data are calibrated, corrected, and analyzed to detect transiting exoplanets while minimizing false positives.

Contribution

It provides an overview of the entire Kepler data processing pipeline, highlighting novel techniques for systematic error removal and transit detection in space-based photometry.

Findings

Pipeline successfully detects planetary signatures

Effective false positive rejection methods implemented

Robust identification of transiting exoplanets

Abstract

The Kepler Mission Science Operations Center (SOC) performs several critical functions including managing the ~156,000 target stars, associated target tables, science data compression tables and parameters, as well as processing the raw photometric data downlinked from the spacecraft each month. The raw data are first calibrated at the pixel level to correct for bias, smear induced by a shutterless readout, and other detector and electronic effects. A background sky flux is estimated from ~4500 pixels on each of the 84 CCD readout channels, and simple aperture photometry is performed on an optimal aperture for each star. Ancillary engineering data and diagnostic information extracted from the science data are used to remove systematic errors in the flux time series that are correlated with these data prior to searching for signatures of transiting planets with a wavelet-based, adaptive matched filter. Stars with signatures exceeding 7.1 sigma are subjected to a suite of statistical tests including an examination of each star's centroid motion to reject false positives caused by background eclipsing binaries. Physical parameters for each planetary candidate are fitted to the transit signature, and signatures of additional transiting planets are sought in the residual light curve. The pipeline is operational, finding planetary signatures and providing robust eliminations of false positives.