The Transit and Light Curve Modeller

Abstract

ABSTRACT Transit and Light Curve Modeller (TLCM), a computer code with the purpose of analysing photometric time series of transits simultaneously with the out-of-transit light variations and radial velocity curves of transiting/eclipsing binary systems, is presented here. Joint light-curve and radial velocity fits are possible with it. The code is based on the combination of a genetic algorithm and simulated annealing. Binning, beaming, reflection, and ellipsoidal effects are included. Both objects may have their own luminosities and therefore one can use TLCM to analyse the eclipses of both exoplanet and well-detached binary systems. A simplified Rossiter–McLaughlin effect is included in the radial velocity fit, and drifts and offsets of different instruments can also be fitted. The impact of poorly known limb darkening on the Rossiter–McLaughlin effect is shortly studied. TLCM is able to manage red-noise effects via wavelet analysis. It is also possible to add parabolic or user-defined baselines and features to the code. I also predict that light variations due to beaming in some systems exhibiting radial velocity drift should be observed by, e.g. PLATO. The fit of the beaming effect is improved by invoking a physical description of the ellipsoidal effects, which has an impact on the modelling of the relativistic beaming; I also point out the difficulties that are stemming from the fact that beaming and first-order reflection effects have the same form of time dependence. Recipe is given, which describes how to analyse grazing transit events. The code is freely available.