The Use of Weighting in Periodicity Searches in All-Sky Monitor Data: Applications to the GLAST LAT
The light curves produced by all-sky monitors, such as the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer All-Sky Monitor and the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT), generally have non-uniform error bars. In searching for periodic modulation in this type of data using power spectra it can be important to use appropriate weighting of data points to achieve the best sensitivity. It was recently demonstrated that for Swift BAT data a simple weighting scheme can actually sometimes reduce the sensitivity of the power spectrum depending on source brightness. Instead, a modified weighting scheme, based on the Cochran semi-weighted mean, gives improved results independent of source brightness. We investigate the benefits of weighting power spectra in period searches using simulated GLAST LAT observations of {gamma}-ray binaries.
- Research Organization:
- SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-76SF00515
- OSTI ID:
- 958054
- Report Number(s):
- SLAC-PUB-13692; APCPCS; arXiv:0704.0904; TRN: US201002%%223
- Journal Information:
- AIP Conf.Proc.921:548-549,2007, Vol. 921; Conference: Presented at the First GLAST Symposium, 5-8 Feb 2007, Stanford, Palo Alto; ISSN 0094-243X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
THE 22 MONTH SWIFT-BAT ALL-SKY HARD X-RAY SURVEY
The Gamma-Ray Large-Area Space Telescope: An Astro-Particle Mission to Explore the High-Energy Gamma-Ray Sky