Fast Radio Bursts arrive at Earth having traveled millions of light-years through the cosmic web of free electrons that permeates our galaxy. These fleeting millisecond signals carry encoded information about every electron they’ve encountered, but deciphering that cosmic message requires precise models of our galaxy’s electron distribution—a challenge that has driven decades of astronomical research.
PyGEDM serves as your computational gateway to the galaxy’s electron roadmap, providing Python bindings for the most sophisticated galactic electron density models: YMW16, NE2001, NE2025, and YT2020. Whether you need to calculate dispersion measures at specific distances, reverse-engineer distances from observed signals, or probe electron densities at any galactic coordinate, this toolkit delivers the computational power of multiple C++ and FORTRAN models through an elegant Python interface. The package seamlessly converts between galactic coordinates and electron densities, handles scattering time calculations, and provides both forward and inverse modeling capabilities.
From FRB researchers tracking down cosmic explosions to pulsar astronomers mapping neutron star distances, PyGEDM has become an essential tool in modern radio astronomy. The project even offers a web application for quick calculations, making galactic electron modeling accessible to the broader astronomical community. As new electron density models emerge and our understanding of the galaxy’s structure deepens, PyGEDM continues evolving as the bridge between cutting-edge astrophysical models and practical astronomical applications.
⭐ Stars: 49
💻 Language: C
🔗 Repository: FRBs/pygedm