TOI-1196 / TIC 69068526: Archival and Pixel-Level Investigation of Transit-Source Attribution

This repository contains an independent archival and computational investigation of the TESS transit candidate TOI-1196 (TIC 69068526), with particular focus on determining which stellar component in the system is responsible for the observed transit signal. The analysis examines publicly available astronomical data and archival records, including TESS target pixel data and information on previously identified stellar companions. Pixel-level forward modelling, source-attribution tests, statistical analyses, injection-recovery experiments, archival searches, and reproducibility materials are included. The system contains a known close companion at approximately 0.22 arcseconds from the primary star. Because this separation is unresolved in TESS data, the analysis evaluates the competing possibilities that the transit originates on the primary or on the close companion. A wider companion is also considered and assessed under the tested models. The results exclude the wider companion within the astrophysical models and assumptions examined, while the available TESS data do not provide definitive attribution between the primary and the 0.22-arcsecond companion. The final scientific status of this investigation is therefore inconclusive with respect to the host-star attribution. The repository is intended as a reproducible research record and contains analysis code, derived results, documentation, data provenance, archival-search records, audit trails, and reproduction instructions. Upstream datasets that are not redistributed are identified by their original archive identifiers and accompanied by instructions for independent retrieval. Computational analysis and research workflow development included use of the Gemini Antigravity CLI, alongside conventional Python-based scientific computing and analysis tools. Its use is acknowledged as part of the computational workflow; the scientific results and interpretations presented in this repository remain the responsibility of the authors.