Every photon that travels across the cosmos carries a story encoded in its wavelength, but extracting that story from raw echelle spectrograph data requires sophisticated calibration and processing. Echelle spectroscopy, with its cross-dispersed orders covering vast wavelength ranges at high resolution, presents unique challenges in data reduction - from scattered light correction to precise wavelength calibration using thorium-argon arc lamps.
PyYAP tackles these challenges head-on with a comprehensive Python pipeline originally designed for the 2.4-meter Thai National Telescope’s Medium-Resolution Echelle Spectrograph (MRES), but adaptable to various echelle instruments including fiber-fed systems like eShel. The pipeline offers dual extraction algorithms, automatic barycentric velocity corrections via Simbad integration, and handles the complete workflow from bias subtraction through final calibrated spectra. Its intelligent file management system and cross-platform compatibility (Linux, macOS, Windows) make it accessible to observatories worldwide.
Whether you’re measuring stellar radial velocities, analyzing exoplanet atmospheres, or studying stellar composition, PyYAP transforms the traditionally complex echelle reduction process into a streamlined workflow. The pipeline’s successful adaptation across different spectrograph designs demonstrates its potential to democratize high-resolution spectroscopy for the growing community of astronomical researchers working with echelle data.
⭐ Stars: 3
💻 Language: Python
🔗 Repository: ich-heisse-eugene/PyYAP