Files in this item
Bayesian bulge-disc decomposition of galaxy images
Item metadata
dc.contributor.author | Argyle, J. J. | |
dc.contributor.author | Méndez-Abreu, J. | |
dc.contributor.author | Wild, V. | |
dc.contributor.author | Mortlock, D. J. | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2018-07-23T08:30:10Z | |
dc.date.available | 2018-07-23T08:30:10Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2018-09-21 | |
dc.identifier | 255011972 | |
dc.identifier | ab197951-6984-41dc-affa-d11e9d12dc5b | |
dc.identifier | 85051462796 | |
dc.identifier | 000441382300013 | |
dc.identifier.citation | Argyle , J J , Méndez-Abreu , J , Wild , V & Mortlock , D J 2018 , ' Bayesian bulge-disc decomposition of galaxy images ' , Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society , vol. 479 , no. 3 , pp. 3076-3093 . https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/sty1691 | en |
dc.identifier.issn | 0035-8711 | |
dc.identifier.other | BibCode: 2018MNRAS.479.3076A | |
dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10023/15628 | |
dc.description | Funding: JMA, and VW acknowledge support of the European Research Council via the award of a starting grant (SEDMorph; PI: V. Wild). | en |
dc.description.abstract | We introduce PHI, a fully Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm designed for the structural decomposition of galaxy images. PHI uses a triple layer approach to effectively and efficiently explore the complex parameter space. Combining this with the use of priors to prevent non-physical models, PHI offers a number of significant advantages for estimating surface brightness profile parameters over traditional optimization algorithms. We apply PHI to a sample of synthetic galaxies with Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)-like image properties to investigate the effect of galaxy properties on our ability to recover unbiased and well-constrained structural parameters. In two-component bulge+disc galaxies, we find that the bulge structural parameters are recovered less well than those of the disc, particularly when the bulge contributes a lower fraction to the luminosity, or is barely resolved with respect to the pixel scale or point spread function (PSF). Thereare few systematic biases, apart from for bulge+disc galaxies with large bulge Sérsic parameter, n. On application to SDSS images, we find good agreement with other codes, when run on the same images with the same masks, weights, and PSF. Again, we find that bulge parameters are the most difficult to constrain robustly. Finally, we explore the use of a Bayesian information criterion method for deciding whether a galaxy has one or two components. | |
dc.format.extent | 6025523 | |
dc.language.iso | eng | |
dc.relation.ispartof | Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society | en |
dc.subject | Methods: data analysis | en |
dc.subject | Methods: statistical | en |
dc.subject | Techniques: image processing | en |
dc.subject | Techniques: photometric | en |
dc.subject | Galaxies: photometry | en |
dc.subject | Galaxies: structure | en |
dc.subject | QB Astronomy | en |
dc.subject | QC Physics | en |
dc.subject | DAS | en |
dc.subject.lcc | QB | en |
dc.subject.lcc | QC | en |
dc.title | Bayesian bulge-disc decomposition of galaxy images | en |
dc.type | Journal article | en |
dc.contributor.sponsor | European Research Council | en |
dc.contributor.sponsor | Science & Technology Facilities Council | en |
dc.contributor.institution | University of St Andrews. School of Physics and Astronomy | en |
dc.identifier.doi | 10.1093/mnras/sty1691 | |
dc.description.status | Peer reviewed | en |
dc.identifier.url | http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018MNRAS.479.3076A | en |
dc.identifier.grantnumber | ERC-2012-StG-20111012 | en |
dc.identifier.grantnumber | ST/M001296/1 | en |
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
Items in the St Andrews Research Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.