Choice of Observing Schedules for Astrometric Planet Searches

TL;DR

This paper investigates how different observing schedules impact the efficiency of astrometric planet searches with the Space Interferometry Mission, finding that schedule choice has limited effect on search success.

Contribution

It provides a Monte Carlo simulation analysis showing that the efficiency of planet detection is largely unaffected by the specific observing schedule used.

Findings

Efficiency is insensitive to schedule variations for most reasonable options.

Monte Carlo simulations effectively evaluate scheduling impacts.

Scheduling flexibility can be prioritized without significant loss in detection efficiency.

Abstract

The Space Interferometry Mission (SIM) will make precise astrometric measurements that can be used to detect planets around nearby stars. Since observational time will be extremely valuable, it is important to consider how the choice of the observing schedule influences the efficiency of SIM planet searches. We have conducted Monte Carlo simulations of astrometric observations to understand the effects of different scheduling algorithms. We find that the efficiency of planet searches is relatively insensitive to the observing schedule for most reasonable observing schedules.