How far can we trust published TESS periods?

TL;DR

This paper investigates the reliability of period determinations from TESS-like light curves, highlighting potential inaccuracies caused by ignoring true light curve behavior and instrumental effects, using simulations and Lomb-Scargle analysis.

Contribution

It demonstrates how standard period analysis methods can be unreliable for TESS data due to light curve complexities and instrumental trends, emphasizing the need for improved techniques.

Findings

Lomb-Scargle method can produce inaccurate periods with TESS-like data.

Instrumental trends significantly affect period determination accuracy.

Simulated light curves reveal limitations of current period analysis methods.

Abstract

Possible inaccuracies in the determination of periods from short-term time series caused by disregard of the real course of light curves and instrumental trends are documented on the example of the period analysis of simulated TESS-like light curve by notorious Lomb-Scargle method.