A Linearized Approach to Radial-Velocity Extraction. II: Shot-Noise-Limited Precision via Spectral Factorization

Fuente: arXiv
Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: Shahaf, Sahar, Zackay, Barak
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
_version_ 1866911447269769216
author Shahaf, Sahar
Zackay, Barak
author_facet Shahaf, Sahar
Zackay, Barak
contents We generalize the short-time Fourier transform (STFT) formalism for radial velocity extraction to cases where the underlying spectral components are unknown. The method factorizes a spectroscopic time series into principal spectra and time-dependent kernels, enabling simultaneous recovery of both. In Fourier space, each inverse-wavelength slice is decomposed by singular value decomposition, and radial velocity shifts are inferred from phase differences between epochs. In the high-SNR regime, this provides a linearized and statistically tractable estimate of differential velocities. The method is validated on synthetic and SOAP simulations and applied to EXPRES observations of HD 34411 and $τ$ Ceti, recovering coherent signals and reaching the instrumental precision limit of ~30 cm/s. Apart from p-mode modulation, the residuals show no significant long-term correlations and allow the detection of signals with semi-amplitudes down to ~50 cm/s with $\lesssim10$ cm/s uncertainty. The framework thus enables extreme-precision radial velocity measurements in the presence of spectral variability, representing a step toward detecting and characterizing Earth-like planets around solar-type stars.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_23040
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A Linearized Approach to Radial-Velocity Extraction. II: Shot-Noise-Limited Precision via Spectral Factorization
Shahaf, Sahar
Zackay, Barak
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
We generalize the short-time Fourier transform (STFT) formalism for radial velocity extraction to cases where the underlying spectral components are unknown. The method factorizes a spectroscopic time series into principal spectra and time-dependent kernels, enabling simultaneous recovery of both. In Fourier space, each inverse-wavelength slice is decomposed by singular value decomposition, and radial velocity shifts are inferred from phase differences between epochs. In the high-SNR regime, this provides a linearized and statistically tractable estimate of differential velocities. The method is validated on synthetic and SOAP simulations and applied to EXPRES observations of HD 34411 and $τ$ Ceti, recovering coherent signals and reaching the instrumental precision limit of ~30 cm/s. Apart from p-mode modulation, the residuals show no significant long-term correlations and allow the detection of signals with semi-amplitudes down to ~50 cm/s with $\lesssim10$ cm/s uncertainty. The framework thus enables extreme-precision radial velocity measurements in the presence of spectral variability, representing a step toward detecting and characterizing Earth-like planets around solar-type stars.
title A Linearized Approach to Radial-Velocity Extraction. II: Shot-Noise-Limited Precision via Spectral Factorization
topic Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.23040