Unlocking Kepler's Full Potential with Gaia DR3: Color-Magnitude Diagram, Binary Systems, and Galactic Kinematics
Godoy-Rivera, Diego; Mathur, Savita; García, Rafael A.; Pinsonneault, Marc; Santos, Ângela; Beck, Paul G.; Grossmann, Desmond; Schimak, Lea; Bedell, Megan; Merc, Jaroslav; Escorza, Ana
- Publisher
- Zenodo
- Language
- en
Abstract
Despite over a decade of ground-breaking discoveries, the full astrophysical potential of the Kepler mission remains underexplored. The original Kepler mission has delivered unprecedented high-quality photometry that continues to impact Galactic archaeology, asteroseismology, and exoplanetary science. However, the full scientific output of Kepler’s observations remains limited due to incomplete stellar properties, a gap that complementary surveys are uniquely positioned to fill. In this work, we perform three state-of-the-art characterizations of the ~ 200,000 stars observed by Kepler based on Gaia DR3 data. First, we place the stars on the color-magnitude diagram (CMD), correct interstellar extinction, and classify targets into several CMD categories (dwarfs, subgiants, red giants, photometric binaries, and others). Second, we report various categories of candidate binary systems, spanning a range of detection methods (e.g., renormalised unit weight error (RUWE), Gaia radial velocity variables, Gaia non-single stars (NSS), Kepler and Gaia eclipsing binaries, among others). Third, we use the Gaia DR3 astrometry and radial velocities to perform a detailed kinematic analysis. We classify the Kepler stars among different Galactic components (think disk, thick disk, halo), and approximately triple the sample size of previous works. We explore the role of their Galactic population membership in properties such as asteroseismic ages, chemical composition, and stellar rotation. This multi-dimensional approach addresses the challenge of fully exploiting the untapped scientific value of Kepler. Our analysis also highlights the capabilities of combining the Gaia data with other photometric missions such as TESS and the upcoming PLATO. Our catalog can assist in the selection of stellar and exoplanet host samples regarding CMD, binary, and kinematic populations, and is publicly available as a resource to the community (Godoy-Rivera et al., 2025, A&A).
Full text
TASC9/KASC16 July 7th, 2025 Diego Godoy-Rivera Juan de la Cierva Fellow Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) Unlocking Kepler’s Full Potential with Gaia DR3: Color-Magnitude Diagram, Binary Systems, and Galactic Kinematics Collaborators: S. Mathur, R. A. García, M. H. Pinsonneault, Â. R. G. Santos, P. G. Beck, D. H. Grossmann, L. Schimak, M. Bedell, J. Merc, A. Escorza, and J. Chanamé AI-generated image
The Kepler Revolution •Kepler targets: N ~ 200,000 •Exoplanets: N ≳ 2,700 •Asteroseismology: N ≳ 15,000 •Rotation: N ≳ 50,000 Godoy-Rivera et al. (2018) Original field: 2009 to 2013 Santos et al. (2019)
The Kepler Revolution A subset of 2025 alone: •Kepler targets: N ~ 200,000 •Exoplanets: N ≳ 2,700 •Asteroseismology: N ≳ 15,000 •Rotation: N ≳ 50,000 Poster #144
The Kepler Revolution 1. Dwarf vs. Giant? 2. Single vs. Binary? 3. Disk vs. Halo? Missing properties! A subset of 2025 alone: •Kepler targets: N ~ 200,000 •Exoplanets: N ≳ 2,700 •Asteroseismology: N ≳ 15,000 •Rotation: N ≳ 50,000 Poster #144
The Kepler Revolution 1. Color-magnitude diagram 2. Binary characterization 3. Kinematic analysis 1. Dwarf vs. Giant? 2. Single vs. Binary? 3. Disk vs. Halo? Missing properties! A subset of 2025 alone: •Kepler targets: N ~ 200,000 •Exoplanets: N ≳ 2,700 •Asteroseismology: N ≳ 15,000 •Rotation: N ≳ 50,000 Poster #144 Data Release 3: 2021, 2023 Gaia Collaboration et al.
1. Color-magnitude diagram (CMD) •Gaia DR3 photometry + parallax: •Extinction map: Vergely et al. (2022) •Gaia-Kepler.fun: N★= 196,762 Credits: Megan Bedell
1. Color-magnitude diagram (CMD) •Gaia DR3 photometry + parallax: •Extinction map: Vergely et al. (2022) Sun •Gaia-Kepler.fun: N★= 196,762 Credits: Megan Bedell
•Gaia DR3 photometry + parallax: 1. Color-magnitude diagram (CMD) •Extinction map: Vergely et al. (2022) •Gaia-Kepler.fun: N★= 196,762 Credits: Megan Bedell Next: split CMD into categories
Upper CMD •PARSEC models: suite at [M/H]=0 1. Color-magnitude diagram (CMD)
Lower CMD •Empirical lower envelope (99.5th percentile) •For (BP-RP)0 ≥ 0.9 mag (Teff ≲ 5,400 K): look for unresolved binaries •Categories: 1. Color-magnitude diagram (CMD)
Lower CMD •Empirical lower envelope (99.5th percentile) •For (BP-RP)0 ≥ 0.9 mag (Teff ≲ 5,400 K): look for unresolved binaries •Categories: 1. Color-magnitude diagram (CMD)
Extra analysis: •Propagation of uncertainties •Probability analysis (PCMD) •Impact of metallicity 1. Color-magnitude diagram (CMD) Use it for your Kepler targets! See also: •Poster #122 by Simon Murphy
2. Binary Systems
2. Binary Systems
2. Binary Systems A significant fraction of the targets flagged by one category, are often not flagged by others Use it for your Kepler targets!
2. Binary Systems See also: •Poster #51 by Jessica Schonhut-Stasik •Poster #103 by Paul Beck •Talk #10.3 by Francisca Espinoza-Rojas •Talk #10.4 by Lea Schimak Poster #Online.9 by Inès Amestoy A significant fraction of the targets flagged by one category, are often not flagged by others Use it for your Kepler targets!
3. Kinematic Analysis •Gaia 6D phase-space: ~ 50% of Kepler •Method: Bensby et al. (2014); Chen et al. (2021) •This work ~ triples existing classification Preliminary! Godoy-Rivera et al. (in prep)
Asteroseismic ages from APOKASC-3 Pinsonneault et al. (2025) 3. Kinematic Analysis Preliminary! Godoy-Rivera et al. (in prep) •Gaia 6D phase-space: ~ 50% of Kepler •Method: Bensby et al. (2014); Chen et al. (2021) •This work ~ triples existing classification
3. Kinematic Analysis Preliminary! Godoy-Rivera et al. (in prep) Asteroseismic ages from APOKASC-3 Pinsonneault et al. (2025) •Gaia 6D phase-space: ~ 50% of Kepler •Method: Bensby et al. (2014); Chen et al. (2021) •This work ~ triples existing classification
