Peering into the molecular clouds where stars are born requires more than just pointing a telescope at the sky. The PHANGS-ALMA pipeline tackles one of radio astronomy’s greatest challenges: converting the raw interferometric data from ALMA and VLA observations into crystal-clear maps of cosmic molecular gas. When radio telescopes observe distant galaxies, they capture visibility data that must be painstakingly processed to reveal the hidden structure of star-forming regions across the universe.
This sophisticated Python toolkit orchestrates the entire journey from calibrated visibilities to publication-ready science products. Built around CASA’s imaging capabilities and enhanced with modern astronomical Python packages like astropy and spectral-cube, the pipeline generates not just spectral cubes but also moment maps and crucially important uncertainty estimates. Version 2.0 introduces advanced features like total power feathering to combine interferometer precision with single-dish sensitivity, delivering the complete picture of galactic molecular gas distributions.
Currently powering the PHANGS-ALMA CO survey - one of the most comprehensive studies of nearby galaxy star formation - this pipeline has already processed observations of dozens of galaxies, creating standardized data products that enable groundbreaking comparative studies. Whether you’re mapping the Milky Way’s spiral arms or tracing molecular gas in distant galactic mergers, this battle-tested framework offers astronomers a robust alternative to ALMA’s standard imaging scripts with the flexibility needed for cutting-edge research.
⭐ Stars: 32
💻 Language: Python
🔗 Repository: akleroy/phangs_imaging_scripts