Variability Flagging in the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer Preliminary Data Release
Abstract
The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer Preliminary Data Release Source Catalog contains over 257 million objects. We describe the method used to flag variable source candidates in the Catalog. Using a method based on the chi-square of single-exposure flux measurements, we generated a variability flag for each object, and have identified almost 460,000 candidate sources that exhibit significant flux variability with greater than ~7σ confidence. We discuss the flagging method in detail and describe its benefits and limitations. We also present results from the flagging method, including example light curves of several types of variable sources including Algol-type eclipsing binaries, RR Lyr, W UMa, and a blazar candidate.
Additional Information
© 2012 American Astronomical Society. Received 2011 June 30; accepted 2012 March 19; published 2012 April 11. This publication makes use of data products from the Widefield Infrared Survey Explorer, which is a joint project of the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Long-term archiving and access to the WISE single-exposure database is funded by NEOWISE, which is a project of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, funded by the Planetary Science Division of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. This research has made use of the NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive, which is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The authors thank the anonymous referee for valuable comments leading to an improved evaluation of the approximation errors affecting the variability indicator.Attached Files
Published - Hoffman2012p18121Astron_J.pdf
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Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 31453
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20120514-105811923
- NASA
- NEOWISE
- Created
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2012-05-15Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2021-11-09Created from EPrint's last_modified field
- Caltech groups
- Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC)