Demystifying Kepler Data: A Primer for Systematic Artifact Mitigation

TL;DR

This paper provides an overview of systematic artifacts in Kepler data and offers methods for their identification and mitigation to enhance the scientific utility of the archive.

Contribution

It introduces a conceptual framework and practical examples for understanding and reducing systematic artifacts in Kepler light curves, aiding users in data analysis.

Findings

Systematic artifacts include velocity aberration, thermal gradients, and pointing variations.

Mitigation techniques improve data quality for long-term astrophysical studies.

Guidelines help maximize scientific returns from the Kepler archive.

Abstract

The Kepler spacecraft has collected data of high photometric precision and cadence almost continuously since operations began on 2009 May 2. Primarily designed to detect planetary transits and asteroseismological signals from solar-like stars, Kepler has provided high quality data for many areas of investigation. Unconditioned simple aperture time-series photometry are however affected by systematic structure. Examples of these systematics are differential velocity aberration, thermal gradients across the spacecraft, and pointing variations. While exhibiting some impact on Kepler's primary science, these systematics can critically handicap potentially ground-breaking scientific gains in other astrophysical areas, especially over long timescales greater than 10 days. As the data archive grows to provide light curves for $10^5$ stars of many years in length, Kepler will only fulfill its broad potential for stellar astrophysics if these systematics are understood and mitigated. Post-launch developments in the Kepler archive, data reduction pipeline and open source data analysis software have occurred to remove or reduce systematic artifacts. This paper provides a conceptual primer for users of the Kepler data archive to understand and recognize systematic artifacts within light curves and some methods for their removal. Specific examples of artifact mitigation are provided using data available within the archive. Through the methods defined here, the Kepler community will find a road map to maximizing the quality and employment of the Kepler legacy archive.