The true stellar parameters of the Kepler target list

Farmer, R.; Kolb, U. and Norton, A. J. (2013). The true stellar parameters of the Kepler target list. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 433(2) pp. 1133–1145.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stt795

Abstract

Using population synthesis tools we create a synthetic Kepler Input Catalogue (KIC) and subject it to the Kepler Stellar Classification Program (SCP) method for deter- mining stellar parameters such as the effective temperature T_eff and surface gravity g. We achieve a satisfactory match between the synthetic KIC and the real KIC in the log g vs log T_eff diagram,while there is a significant difference between the actual physical stellar parameters and those derived by the SCP of the stars in the synthetic sample. We find a median difference ∆T_eff = +500 K and ~ ∆ log g = −0.2 dex for main-sequence stars, and ~ ∆T_eff = +50 K and ∆ log g = −0.5 dex for giants, although there is a large variation across parameter space. For a MS star the median difference in g would equate to a ~ 3% increase in stellar radius and a consequent 3% overestimate of the radius for any transiting exoplanet. We find no significant difference between ∆T_eff and ∆ log g for single stars and the primary star in a binary system. We also re-created the Kepler target selection method and found that the binary fraction is unchanged by the target selection. Binaries are selected in similar proportions to single star systems; the fraction of MS dwarfs in the sample increases from about 75% to 80%, and the giant star fraction decreases from 25% to 20%.

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