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DOE OSTI · 3011048

The Blending ToolKit: A simulation framework for evaluation of galaxy detection and deblending

Mendoza, Ismael [University of Michigan–Ann Arbor]·Torchylo, Andrii [Stanford University]·Sainrat, Thomas [Université de Strasbourg; Université Paris Cité, CNRS]·Guinot, Axel [Université Paris Cité, CNRS; Carnegie Mellon University]·Boucaud, Alexandre [Université Paris Cité, CNRS]·Paillasa, Maxime [Nagoya University]·Avestruz, Camille [University of Michigan–Ann Arbor; University of Michigan–Ann Arbor]·Adari, Prakruth [Stony Brook University]·Aubourg, Eric [Université Paris Cité, CNRS, CEA]·Biswas, Biswajit [Université Paris Cité, CNRS]·Buchanan, James [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory]·Burchat, Patricia [Stanford University]·Doux, Cyrille [Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS]·Joseph, Remy [The Oskar Klein Centre, Stockholm University]·Kamath, Sowmya [Stanford University]·Malz, Alex I. [Carnegie Mellon University]·Merz, Grant [University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign]·Miyatake, Hironao [Nagoya University; Nagoya University; The University of Tokyo]·Roucelle, Cécile [Université Paris Cité, CNRS]·Zhang, Tianqing [Carnegie Mellon University; University of Pittsburgh; SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory]
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Abstract

We present an open source Python library for simulating overlapping (i.e., blended) images of galaxies and performing self-consistent comparisons of detection and deblending algorithms based on a suite of metrics. The package, named Blending Toolkit (BTK), serves as a modular, flexible, easy-to-install, and simple-to-use interface for exploring and analyzing systematic effects related to blended galaxies in cosmological surveys such as the Vera Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). BTK has three main components: (1) a set of modules that perform fast image simulations of blended galaxies, using the open source image simulation package GalSim; (2) a module that standardizes the inputs and outputs of existing deblending algorithms; (3) a library of deblending metrics commonly defined in the galaxy deblending literature. In combination, these modules allow researchers to explore the impacts of galaxy blending in cosmological surveys. Additionally, BTK provides researchers who are developing a new deblending algorithm a framework to evaluate algorithm performance and make principled comparisons with existing deblenders. BTK includes a suite of tutorials and comprehensive documentation. The source code is publicly available on GitHub at https://github.com/LSSTDESC/BlendingToolKit.

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79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICSLSSTblended imagesblended images, galaxy surveys, LSST, pythoncosmologyextragalactic astrophysicsgalaxy surveys

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Mendoza, Ismael [University of Michigan–Ann Arbor], Torchylo, Andrii [Stanford University], Sainrat, Thomas [Université de Strasbourg; Université Paris Cité, CNRS], Guinot, Axel [Université Paris Cité, CNRS; Carnegie Mellon University], Boucaud, Alexandre [Université Paris Cité, CNRS], Paillasa, Maxime [Nagoya University], Avestruz, Camille [University of Michigan–Ann Arbor; University of Michigan–Ann Arbor], Adari, Prakruth [Stony Brook University], Aubourg, Eric [Université Paris Cité, CNRS, CEA], Biswas, Biswajit [Université Paris Cité, CNRS], Buchanan, James [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory], Burchat, Patricia [Stanford University], Doux, Cyrille [Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS], Joseph, Remy [The Oskar Klein Centre, Stockholm University], Kamath, Sowmya [Stanford University], Malz, Alex I. [Carnegie Mellon University], Merz, Grant [University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign], Miyatake, Hironao [Nagoya University; Nagoya University; The University of Tokyo], Roucelle, Cécile [Université Paris Cité, CNRS], Zhang, Tianqing [Carnegie Mellon University; University of Pittsburgh; SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory]. 2025-02-14. The Blending ToolKit: A simulation framework for evaluation of galaxy detection and deblending. https://doi.org/10.33232/001c.129699

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