PLATO: PSF modelling using a microscanning technique

TL;DR

This paper proposes a microscanning technique to model the PSF of the PLATO space mission's instrument, aiming to improve photometric precision for exoplanet detection and stellar characterization.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel microscanning-based PSF modeling method tailored for the PLATO mission to enhance photometric accuracy.

Findings

PSF modeling accuracy improved using microscanning

Enhanced photometric precision for exoplanet detection

Method applicable to space-based photometry instruments

Abstract

The PLATO space mission is designed to detect telluric planets in the habitable zone of solar type stars, and simultaneously characterise the host star using ultra high precision photometry. The photometry will be performed on board using weighted masks. However, to reach the required precision, corrections will have to be performed by the ground segment and will rely on precise knowledge of the instrument PSF (Point Spread Function). We here propose to model the PSF using a microscanning method.