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

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

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-inst...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ismael Mendoza, Andrii Torchylo, Thomas Sainrat, Axel Guinot, Alexandre Boucaud, Maxime Paillasa, Camille Avestruz, Prakruth Adari, Eric Aubourg, Biswajit Biswas, James Buchanan, Patricia Burchat, Cyrille Doux, Remy Joseph, Sowmya Kamath, Alex I. Malz, Grant Merz, Hironao Miyatake, Cécile Roucelle, Tianqing Zhang, LSST Dark Energy Science Collaboration
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Maynooth Academic Publishing 2025-02-01
Series:The Open Journal of Astrophysics
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.33232/001c.129699
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Summary: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.
ISSN:2565-6120

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