11 Template and standard spectrograms

 

11.1 Quick intro

One can use Specview to visually compare a given observational spectrogram with template or standard spectrograms.

Note: future versions will allow quantitative comparisons as well.

The operation of this feature can be summarized as a two-step action:

The following paragraphs discuss details associated with each one of the steps described above.

11.2 Template and standard spectrograms

The term “template” is used in this text to refer to theoretical spectral data. The equivalent term “model” is not used in this context to prevent confusion with terms used in the existing spectrogram modeling functions described in Sec. 6.

 

The term “standard” is used in this text to refer to observational spectrograms of standard sources. For the purposes of operating with these two classes of spectrograms within Specview, in most cases the two terms can be used interchangeabily.

 

11.3 Reading template and standard spectrograms

Template and standard spectrograms can be loaded in memory either via the Standards menu, or from external files.

 

Template and standard spectrograms will show up on the memory buffer window (see Sec. 1.3) with a purple “T” mark preceding their names.

 

11.3.1 Reading from pre-supplied libraries

 

The Standards menu gives access to the library of templates and standard spectrograms provided by STScI at http://www.stsci.edu/hst/observatory/cdbs/astronomical_catalogs.html. The documentation is available at that web site.

 

This functionality is available with maximum efficiency only if the specview_standards.jar file is present in the local Specview installation. If not present, spectrograms will still be loaded, albeit more slowly, over the network. The exception is the Kurucz library, which requires that the specview_kurucz.jar file be installed locally. See instructios for installing the Jar files at http://www.stsci.edu/resources/software_hardware/specview/download.

 

11.3.2 Reading from external files.

 

When reading any spectrogram from an external file, the input flux units is checked against the library of know spectral flux density units recognized by Specview. If no match is found, the data is assigned template status. In this case, the flux values in an ingested template spectrogram are expressed in whatever preferred units (see Sec. 7 and 9) the user have selected at that moment.

 

11.4 Selecting a template or standard for renormalization

Once the desired observational data is loaded on the display, double-clicking the left mouse button on a specific data point brings up a temporary popup list with the names of the existing templates and standards loaded in memory at that time

 

 

 

Note that composite templates are “opened up” and their internal members are displayed individually in the popup list.

 

Selecting an entry in the popup list causes the selected template/standard to be renormalized to the flux density and wavelength values associated with the selected data point in the display. The renormalized template/standard is then associated with the original observed data in a Comparison Spectrogram, and that composite spectrogram is displayed:

 

 

A comparison spectrogram is almost exactly the same composite spectrogram that results from a coplot operation (see Sec. 1.4), however with an important difference: except for the first member, all spectrograms stored internally can be renormalized again via graphics drag actions. See Sec. 11.5 for details.

 

One can keep adding templates/standards at will to an existing comparison spectrogram. Templates and standards will not repeat however: if an existing member template or standard is selected again in the popup window, the existing template/standard is just renormalized to the new flux-wavelength value.

 

11.5 Renormalizing already displayed templates/standards

Templates and standards can be renormalized at will by dragging their graphics representation over the screen. To drag a template/standard, move the cursor over it, press the Shift key, and drag the mouse up or down. An afterimage of the template/standard curve will move along with the cursor. Once it is in the desired position, release the mouse. The template/standard is renormalized to the new value and the entire display refreshes.

 

It might be easier to perform this operation with the Auto / Fixed selector set to Fixed (see Sec. 2.2). It also helps when the data can be displayed in a log scale, in which the renormalization multiplication translates precisely to a screen coordinate shift.

 

11.6 Rest wavelength scale

Template spectrograms are expressed, by definition, in a rest wavelength scale. To compare them with data from real sources that have a non-zero redshif or radial velocity, use the radial velocity tool to convert the display to the rest frame (see Sec. 4.3.1). Altough a standard spectrogram may be at a non-zero radial velocity, they are treated by Specview in a identical way as a template spectrum.