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2 years ago in Astrophysics , Inverse Problems By Jenny

Where can I find code to model the spotted surface of a star from light curves alone?

My project involves analyzing Kepler light curves of spotted stars. I want to move beyond simple periodograms and model the actual spot distribution, size, and temperature. I know this is an ill-posed inversion problem, but there must be established codes. Are there standard, community-vetted packages in Python or IDL, or do I need to write my own from published algorithms?

 

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By Anuj Patel Answered 2 years ago

You're right that it's an ill-posed problem, but there are several good starting points. I have used and would recommend beginning with the StarSpotz code; it's a well-documented Python package specifically designed for this, implementing a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach to fit for spot parameters. For a more integrated approach, the PyTransit library has modules for including spots in exoplanet transit modeling. If you need maximum flexibility, look into the SPOTROD algorithm, which has published implementations. The key is to start with a packaged solution to understand the parameter degeneracies like between spot latitude and siz —before considering a custom build.

 

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