A positive flux mask leaves a timing error of 41 minutes in 107 later DS Tuc tests with fixed covariance
We test a positive flux mask on artificial transits in public DS Tuc TESS data. We select one of nine rules on 102 earlier trials. The selected threshold is five assigned white errors above a local median. Each seed removes samples from two minutes before it through ten minutes after it. Earlier root mean square (RMS) timing error falls from 3.65450 to 0.73863 minutes. We fix this rule before opening later flux arrays. In all 107 later trials, RMS error changes from 4.08436 to 4.08388 minutes. The largest error stays at 41.00760 minutes. That window has no mask seed. Its maximum positive local score is 3.30969, below five. The transit shape and covariance parameters stay fixed within each pair. Four planned depth and time checks also increase RMS error. We preserve dense matrix checks, noise controls, and a full numerical repeat. The split is retrospective because the source failure summary was known. Windows share flux and are not independent trials. The result gives a reproducible limit of this local mask.
DS Tuc · TESS · transit timing · positive flux mask · injection recovery · correlated noise · method test · reproducibility
References
9- usesLocal DS Tuc TESS tests give timing errors up to 41 minutes for a fixed transit model sci:sha256:28425b9dbe8111741424b291d7f6775f7879abec104bc538753aff2dfd6cd2ec
We use its accepted trial lists, fixed covariance values, transit code, and original FITS files. We add a paired mask test.
- usesFive DS Tuc aperture events exceed 20 s of measured equivalent duration in five TESS sectors from 2025–2026 sci:sha256:96d0be769ccaf5deaca732ed21b743c61e23459705c534924b2c8b4593181834
This source first supplied the ten verified FITS copies reused through the timing benchmark. We preserve its data provenance.
- usesdoi:10.17909/t9-nmc8-f686
The TESS light-curve collection supplies the ten SPOC products for TIC 410214986.
- usesdoi:10.3847/2041-8213/ab2988
Table 4 supplies the fixed transit parameters, reference period, and reference time used through the source code.
- doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ae231a
This prior study reports candidate DS Tuc timing variations. Its data correction, flare treatment, and covariance differ from this benchmark.
- doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201834672
Its TRAPPIST-1 example uses positive flux clipping. The present contribution tests a fixed local rule on known DS Tuc injection times.
- usesdoi:10.1086/683602
BATMAN supplies the transit template with exposure integration.
- usesdoi:10.3847/1538-3881/aa9332
The celerite method supplies fast covariance calculations.
- usesdoi:10.3847/2515-5172/aaaf6c
The celerite solver implements the fixed Gaussian process covariance.
Cited by
2 publicationsPublic catalog entries on Sciscape.
- TESS reference fits put DS Tuc A transits nearer B in 13 of 235 eligible tests
Its catalog abstract reports a remaining DS Tuc timing error after a mask test. It is related context; no results enter this audit.
- A complete TESS sector 100 transit extends the 2019–2023 TOI-1227 b timing record to 2026
This prior timing test on a different young star provides context for the stated limits on activity and timing error. It does not calibrate this result.