Analysis of pulsating variable stars using the visibility graph algorithm

We study the light curves of pulsating variable stars using a complex network approach to build visibility graphs. We consider various types of variables stars (e.g., Cepheids, δ Scuti, RR Lyrae), build two types of graphs (the normal visibility graph (VG) and the horizontal visibility graph (HVG)),...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one Vol. 16; no. 11; p. e0259735
Main Authors: Muñoz, Víctor, Garcés, N. Elizabeth
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States Public Library of Science 17.11.2021
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Subjects:
Algorithms
Analysis
Cluster Analysis
Clustering
Computer and Information Sciences
Fractals
Graphic methods
Graphs
Heart Rate - physiology
Humans
Light
Light curve
Mathematical analysis
Physical Sciences
Probability distribution functions
Research and Analysis Methods
Time series
Variable stars
Chile
ISSN:1932-6203, 1932-6203
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:We study the light curves of pulsating variable stars using a complex network approach to build visibility graphs. We consider various types of variables stars (e.g., Cepheids, δ Scuti, RR Lyrae), build two types of graphs (the normal visibility graph (VG) and the horizontal visibility graph (HVG)), and calculate various metrics for the resulting networks. We find that all networks have a power-law degree distribution for the VG and an exponential distribution for the HVG, suggesting that it is a universal feature, regardless of the pulsation features. Metrics such as the average degree, the clustering coefficient and the transitivity coefficient, can distinguish between some star types. We also observe that the results are not strongly affected by the presence of observation gaps in the light curves. These findings suggest that the visibility graph algorithm may be a useful technique to study variability in stars.
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Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0259735