Monthly Archives: October 2014

ADASS poster: Data Analysis Software for the ESPRESSO science machine

Abstract: The Echelle SPectrograph for Rocky Exoplanets and Stable Spectral Observations (ESPRESSO) is an extremely stable high-resolution spectrograph which is currently being developed for the ESO VLT Combined Coudé Laboratory by an international consortium of four nations and ESO. With its groundbreaking characteristics (resolution up to ~200,000; wavelength range from 380 to 780 nm; centimeter-per-second accuracy in wavelength calibration; possibility to use all 4 unit telescope at once) ESPRESSO is aimed to be a “science machine” – i.e., an instrument whose subsystems are fully-integrated way to directly extract science information from the observations. In particular, ESPRESSO will be the first ESO instrument to be equipped with a dedicated tool for the analysis of data, the Data Analysis Software (DAS), consisting in a number of recipes to analyse both stellar and quasar spectra. In this talk, I will present my work on the quasar branch of the DAS. I will describe the details of the pipeline and of its GUI, ESO Reflex, which is aimed to get over the shortcomings of the existing software providing multiple iteration modes and full interactivity with the data. I will also discuss some new algorithms implemented in the code, which will allow to determine the continuum level of emission in quasar spectra, to fit the spectral lines, and to identify the absorption systems in a coherent scheme. The scientific importance of a carefully-designed, physically-motivated approach to data analysis will be highlighted throughout.

Authors: Guido Cupani (INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste)
Valentina D’Odorico (INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste)
Stefano Cristiani (INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste)
Jonay Gonzalez-Hernandez (Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias)
Christophe Lovis (Université de Genève)
Sérgio Sousa (Universidade do Porto)
Eros Vanzella (INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Bologna)
Paolo Di Marcantonio (INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste)
Denis Mégevand (Université de Genève)

News from ADASS

Bruce Berriman is blogging about ADASS on his Astronomy Computing Today site; his first installment is already available. And Peter Teuben is posting photos from the event (and Calgary). You can also follow the events on Twitter, hashtag #astroADASS.

ASCL poster at ADASS

Abstract: The Astrophysics Source Code Library (ASCL) is a free online registry of codes used in astronomy research; it currently contains over 900 codes and is indexed by ADS. The ASCL has recently moved a new infrastructure into production. The new site provides a true database for the code entries and integrates the WordPress news and information pages and the discussion forum into one site. Previous capabilities are retained and permalinks to ascl.net continue to work. The site offers more functionality and flexibility than the previous site, is easier to maintain, and offers new possibilities for collaboration. This presentation covers these recent changes to the ASCL.

Authors: Robert Hanisch (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
Alice Allen (Astrophysics Source Code Library)
Bruce Berriman (Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, California Institute of Technology)
Kimberly Duprie (Space Telescope Science Institute)
Jessica Mink (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
Robert Nemiroff (Michigan Technological University)
Lior Shamir (Lawrence Technological University)
Keith Shortridge (Australian Astronomical Observatory)
Mark Taylor (University of Bristol)
Peter Teuben (University of Maryland)
John Wallin (Middle Tennessee State University)

ADASS opens this evening with a welcome reception

The 24th Astronomical Data Analysis Software and Systems (ADASS) meeting starts this evening at the Westin Hotel in Calgary, Canada. Talks start tomorrow afternoon; the opening sessions are focused on Big Data Challenges, which is such a big topic it has to be continued on Monday morning.

Though the ASCL editors are not attending ADASS this year, most of the Advisory Committee is (Peter Teuben, Bruce Berriman, Bob Hanisch, Jessica Mink, Keith Shortridge, and Mark Taylor) and Bob Hanisch has a poster on the ASCL’s recent changes to hang.

You can follow ADASS on Twitter @astroADASS, and tomorrow, we’ll post the ASCL poster here.