Unknown true peak of the 2022 outburst and impact on t2

Determine the true peak magnitude and the exact time of maximum brightness of the February 2022 outburst of AT2022kak, and consequently refine the two-magnitude decline times (t2) in the g and i bands derived from the polynomial fits.

Background

AT2022kak exhibited a rapidly evolving outburst detected by KNTraP with day-cadence imaging, followed by a rapid fade. Polynomial fits to nights 3–6 were used to estimate peak magnitudes, rise and fade rates, and t2 values. However, the cadence did not capture the actual moment of maximum light.

Because the true peak is unknown, the reported t2 values may be underestimated. Establishing the true peak would enable accurate characterization of the outburst’s temporal properties and strengthen comparisons to the broader dwarf nova population.

References

However as noted, we do not know the true peak of this outburst due to the cadence of observations, thus the $t_2$ value may be faster than reported here.

— An extremely fast fading population II dwarf nova candidate: caught spectroscopically on the rise (2510.26682 - Bemmel et al., 30 Oct 2025) in Section 5.1 (Dwarf Nova Properties)