New Variable Stars Discovered by the APACHE Survey. I. Results After the First Observing Season

TL;DR

The APACHE survey discovered over 80 new variable stars in its first season, combining targeted observations of M dwarfs with analysis of field stars and archival data to classify and determine periods of these variables.

Contribution

This study reports the first season's discovery of new variable stars using the APACHE survey, integrating data analysis with archival resources for improved classification.

Findings

Over 80 new variable stars identified

Refined classifications and periods for many variables

Some variables exhibit peculiar features discussed separately

Abstract

We present more than 80 new variable stars discovered during the first observing season of the APACHE survey. APACHE is a project aimed at detecting extrasolar planets transiting nearby, bright M dwarfs by using an array of small-aperture telescopes. Despite the fact that the survey is targeted to a well-defined sample of cool stars, we also reduce and analyze data for all the detected field stars. Since July 2012 dozens of different stellar fields have been monitored, leading to the detection of several variables for which we propose a classification and estimate a period, when a periodicity is evident in the data. Thanks to the SuperWASP public archive, we have also retrieved and analyzed photometric data collected by the SWASP survey, which helped us to refine the classification and the period estimation of many variables found in the APACHE database. Some of the variables present peculiarities and thus are discussed separately.