Examples and Tutorials

Here are a list of scripts andnotebooks detailing how to use SimCADO. If you would like to add a notebook to this collection, please email it to Kieran Leschinski.

Cheat Sheet

Hint

If you don’t like sifting through documentation, try looking through the cheat sheet at some common commands and examples. If you find what you need, then you’ll know exactly what to look for in the simcado package

• PDF version or

• Jupyter Notebook

Tutorials

• my_first_sim.ipynb

  An introductory notebook to SimCADO. Topics include: first steps with SimCADO, creating Source objects and customising simulations.

• stars_anisocado.ipynb

  A example of how stars looks like with a field changing PSF as expected in the SCAO mode. Here, a bunch of stars are observed at 0, 7, 14 and 21 arcsec off-axis. Also available as a stand-alone script (stars_anisocado.py)

• star_cluster_fullarray.ipynb

  This example simulates a star cluster filling the whole MICADO array with a MAORY-like PSF in the J-band. For that a new J-band PSF was generated with a Strehl of 7%. This PSF can be downloaded from the data directory (as well as others in H and Ks). Also available as stand-alone script (star_cluster_fullarray.py)

• extended_source.ipynb

  We put here a local galaxy and see how it would look like with MICADO at z=2. We use a SCAO PSF. Stand-alone script: extended_source.py

• galaxy_globclusters.ipynb

  We simulate here a disk galaxy surrounded by (proto-) globular clusters and using a number of observing possibilites with SimCADO. Stand-alone script: galaxy_globclusters.py

Science Cases

• Limiting_Magnitudes.ipynb

  Examples for how to use limiting_mags() from the sub-module simcado.simulation.

• Betelgeuse.ipynb

  A quick look at whether it would be possible to observe Betelgeuse (J = -3 mag) with SimCADO without destroying the detectors. Short answer: yes.

• StarDestroyer.ipynb

  If General Tarkin were to attack Earth and has hidding in orbit around the moon in his spaceship, could the E-ELT see it, and would we we know what it was?

• Examples_Galaxies.ipynb

  A quick look to some of the cababilities of SimCADO to work with extended sources

PSF experiments

• SimCADO_PSF_examples.ipynb

  A notebook showing the different PSFs available in SimCADO and doing a bit of analysis of their characteristics.

• E-ELT_2-Phase_Mirror.ipynb

  As the primary mirror of the E-ELT was innitially thought to be built in 2 phases, this notebook uses SimCADO to have a look at what that means for the resulting E-ELT PSF.

Note

the PSFs generated here are only approximations based on a diffraction limited core combined with a Seeing Halo. These are meant only as a guide.

Workshop notebooks

1. Setting up SimCADO

   Some basics about running SimCADO

2. Working with point sources

   The basics for making and combining point source objects

3. Notes on simulation with sub-pixel resolution

   A couple of examples on how to get SimCADO to do sub-pixel scale simulations

4. Working with extended sources

   Creating a galaxy field with a large galaxy (the Antennae) and adding a series of background galaxies Here are the FITS file used in the simulation