A. M. Zubareva

Comparative performance of selected variability detection techniques in photometric time series data

Photometric measurements are prone to systematic errors presenting a challenge to low-amplitude variability detection. In search for a general-purpose variability detection technique able to recover a broad range of variability types including currently unknown ones, we test 18 statistical characteristics quantifying scatter and/or correlation between brightness measurements. We compare their performance in identifying variable objects in seven time series data sets obtained with telescopes ranging in size from a telephoto lens to 1m-class and probing variability on time-scales from minutes to decades. The test data sets together include lightcurves of 127539 objects, among them 1251 variable stars of various types and represent a range of observing conditions often found in ground-based variability surveys. The real data are complemented by simulations. We propose a combination of two indices that together recover a broad range of variability types from photometric data characterized by a wide variety of sampling patterns, photometric accuracies, and percentages of outlier measurements. The first index is the interquartile range (IQR) of magnitude measurements, sensitive to variability irrespective of a time-scale and resistant to outliers. It can be complemented by the ratio of the lightcurve variance to the mean square successive difference, 1/h, which is efficient in detecting variability on time-scales longer than the typical time interval between observations. Variable objects have larger 1/h and/or IQR values than non-variable objects of similar brightness. Another approach to variability detection is to combine many variability indices using principal component analysis. We present 124 previously unknown variable stars found in the test data.

New variable stars on digitized plates of the Moscow collection. Field SA9

The new stage of work on digitizing the astronomical plates of the Sternberg Astronomical Institute’s collection and searching for new variable stars using the digitized photographic plates includes a considerable improvement of the automated search techniques for objects with variable brightnesses. In particular, the technique for taking into account the non-linear response of the photographic light detector has been improved. Applying the improved techniques to 182 digitized images of a 10° × 10° field centered at SA9, obtained from scanning photographic plates taken with the Sternberg Astronomical Institute 40-cm astrograph, has enabled the discover and study of 77 new variable stars (MDV 519–595). These include 3 Cepheids, 2 probable BY Draconis stars, 65 eclipsing binaries, 3RR Lyrae stars, 1 high-amplitude δ Scuti star (HADS), and 3 irregular variables. Special CCD observations have confirmed the presence of brightness variations in 7 of the 77 variables that were initially considered uncertain.

A photometric study of the polar MT draconis in 2005–2009

We have obtained data on various brightness states of the polar MT Dra over five years of observations, including the first multicolor photometry for this close binary. We confirm the known orbital period, which has remained constant over 17 years, which is unusual for cataclysmic binaries. Our observations in October 2006 demonstrated a transition of the polar to its low brightness state within one day.

New variable stars from the photographic archive: semi-automated discoveries, attempts at automatic classification and the new field 104 Her

Using 172 plates taken with the 40-cm astrograph of the Sternberg Astronomical Institute (Lomonosov Moscow University) in 1976-1994 and digitized with the resolution of 2400 dpi, we discovered and studied 275 new variable stars. We present the list of our new variables with all necessary information concerning their brightness variations. As in our earlier studies, the new discoveries show a rather large number of high-amplitude Delta Scuti variables, predicting that many stars of this type remain not detected in the whole sky. We also performed automated classification of the newly discovered variable stars based on the Random Forest algorithm. The results of the automated classification were compared to traditional classification and showed that automated classification was possible even with noisy photographic data. However, further improvement of automated techniques is needed, which is especially important having in mind the very large numbers of new discoveries expected from all-sky surveys.

MN Dra—In‐the‐Gap Dwarf Nova With Negative Superhumps

The multi‐site photometric observations of MN Dra were made over 77 nights in August–November, 2009. The total exposure was 433 hours. During this time the binary underwent two superoutbursts and five normal outbursts. During the course of first superoutburst period of positive superhumps decreased with extremely large P = −1.5×1.0−4 for SU UMa‐like dwarf novae, confirming known behavior of MN Dra [1]. Between the superoutbursts MN Dra displayed negative superhumps. Their period changed cyclically around 0.096‐day value.