arXiv subjects

Eduardo Unda-Sanzana

Publications and source records attributed to Eduardo Unda-Sanzana.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Diffuse and specular brightness models applied to LEO satellites. Case study: The ONEWEB constellation

Context. To better understand the observed brightness of low Earth orbit satellites, we must characterize their reflectivity, which in turn depends importantly on their bus designs. The reflectivity of a body can be described by Lambert's law, in terms of its albedo, cross-sectional area, range (distance), phase angles, and the mixing coefficient between diffuse and specular reflection components. Aims. We aim to analyze the reflectivity of more than 300 ONEWEB satellites using the diffuse Lambertian sphere, diffuse and specular Lambertian sphere, and the relative reflectance brightness models. Methods. Astrometric and photometric measurements, plus two-line elements (TLE) orbital information were used to compute the apparent and range-magnitude, as well as the relevant angles related to the orientation of the Sun, the satellites, and the observer. A differential evolution Monte Carlo algorithm was used to obtain each model's parameters that best fit the data. Results. All models can fit the mean observed brightness of the satellites but cannot describe the observed phase-angle-dependent brightness modulations. The residuals in all cases have a standard deviation of $\sim$0.6 magnitudes, while the observational photometric errors are on average $\sim$0.2 magnitudes. Conclusions. The studied brightness models, which depend on the relative Sun-body-observer position but are independent of the specific orientation of the reflecting body surface(s) with respect to the observer, cannot entirely explain the observed brightness of the ONEWEB constellation satellites. Accounting for the real shape and the changing attitude of the satellite, as well as the effect of Earth's albedo is needed to better explain satellite photometric observations

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2019

Simulations of starspot anomalies within TESS exoplanetary transit light curves -- I. The detection limits of starspot anomalies in TESS light curves

20573 simulations of planetary transits around spotted stars were conducted using the transit-starspot model, \texttt{PRISM}. In total 3888 different scenarios were considered using three different host star spectral types, M4V, M1V and K5V. The mean amplitude of the starspot anomaly was measured and compared to the photometric precision of the light curve, to determine if the starspot anomaly's characteristic "blip" was noticeable in the light curve. The simulations show that, starspot anomalies will be observable in TESS 2\,min cadence data. The smallest starspot detectable in TESS transit light curves has a radius of $\approx1900$\,km. The starspot detection limits for the three host stars are: $4900\pm1700$\,km (M4V), $13800\pm6000$\,km (M1V) and $15900\pm6800$\,km (K5V). The smallest change in flux of the starspot ($ΔF_\mathrm{spot} = 0.00015\pm0.00001$) can be detected when the ratio between the planetary and stellar radii, $k = 0.082\pm0.004$. The results confirm known dependencies between the amplitude of the starspot anomaly and the photometric parameters of the light curve. The results allowed the characterisation of the relationship between the change in flux of the starspot anomaly and the change in flux of the planetary transit for TESS transit light curves.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2019

Population control of Mars Trojans by the Yarkovsky & YORP effects

We explore the hypothesis that the population of Martian Trojans is the result of a balance between the production of new asteroids ("YORPlets") through the YORP effect and their eventual escape from the Trojan clouds through Yarkovsky-driven orbital evolution. Our principal observables are: (5261) Eureka, its family of 8 asteroids and the family-less Trojans (101429) 1998 VF31 & (121514) 1999 UJ7. We model the population evolution as a birth-death random process and assume it is in a steady state. We then simulate the discovery of Trojans to-date and find that family members of 101429 and 121514, if they exist, are intrinsically more difficult to detect than Eureka's. Their non-discovery can be used as evidence of their non-existence only under the assumption that their brightness relative to the parent asteroid is similar to that in the Eureka family. To find out how efficiently Mars Trojans are lost from the Trojan clouds due to the Yarkovsky effect, we carry out dynamical simulations of test particles originating from these parent bodies. We find that objects originating from Eureka and 121514 begin escaping after ~1 Gyr, but that those from 101429 are already lost by that time, probably due to that asteroid's proximity to an eccentricity-type secular resonance within Mars's co-orbital region. This is the likely cause behind the absence of Trojans in the orbital vicinity of 101429. In contrast, the solitary status of 121514 points to an intrinsic inability of the asteroid to produce YORPlets during the most recent ~20% of the solar system's history, a finding potentially related to 121514's present, low angular momentum rotational state, unless the Eureka family formed rapidly during a single fission event.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2019

Spitzer Microlensing parallax reveals two isolated stars in the Galactic bulge

We report the mass and distance measurements of two single-lens events from the 2017 Spitzer microlensing campaign. The ground-based observations yield the detection of finite-source effects, and the microlens parallaxes are derived from the joint analysis of ground-based observations and Spitzer observations. We find that the lens of OGLE-2017-BLG-1254 is a $0.60 \pm 0.03 M_{\odot}$ star with $D_{\rm LS} = 0.53 \pm 0.11~\text{kpc}$, where $D_{\rm LS}$ is the distance between the lens and the source. The second event, OGLE-2017-BLG-1161, is subject to the known satellite parallax degeneracy, and thus is either a $0.51^{+0.12}_{-0.10} M_{\odot}$ star with $D_{\rm LS} = 0.40 \pm 0.12~\text{kpc}$ or a $0.38^{+0.13}_{-0.12} M_{\odot}$ star with $D_{\rm LS} = 0.53 \pm 0.19~\text{kpc}$. Both of the lenses are therefore isolated stars in the Galactic bulge. By comparing the mass and distance distributions of the eight published Spitzer finite-source events with the expectations from a Galactic model, we find that the Spitzer sample is in agreement with the probability of finite-source effects occurrence in single lens events.

astro-ph.SR↗