Astroinformatics: Statistically Optimal Approximations of Near-Extremal Parts with Application to Variable Stars

Abstract

The software MAVKA is described, which was elaborated for statistically optimal determination of the characteristics of the extrema of 1000+ variable stars of different types, mainly eclipsing and pulsating. The approximations are phenomenological, but not physical. As often, the discovery of a new variable star is made on time series of a single-filter (single-channel) data, and there is no possibility to determine parameters needed for physical modelling (e.g. temperature, radial velocities, mass ratio of binaries). Besides classical polynomial approximation "AP" (we limited the degree of the polynomial from 2 to 9), there are realized symmetrical approximations (symmetrical polynomials "SP", "wall-supported" horizontal line "WSL" and parabola "WSP", restricted polynomials of non-integer order based on approximations of the functions proposed by Andronov (2012) and Mikulasek (2015) and generally asymmetric functions (asymptotic parabola "AP", parabolic spline "PS", generalized hyperbolic secant function "SECH" and "log-normal-like" "BSK"). This software is a successor of the "Observation Obscurer" with some features for the variable star research, including a block for "running parabola" "RP" scalegram and approximation. Whereas the RP is oriented on approximation of the complete data set. MAVKA is pointed to parts of the light curve close to extrema (including total eclipses and transits of stars and exoplanets). The functions for wider intervals, covering the eclipse totally, were discussed in Andronov (2017). Global and local approximations are reviewed in Andronov (2020). The software is available at http://uavso.org.ua/mavka and https://katerynaandrych.wixsite.com/mavka. We have analyzed the data from own observations, as well as from monitoring obtained at ground-based and space (currently, mainly, TESS) observatories. It may be used for signals of any nature.