Color, 3D simulated images with shapelets

TL;DR

This paper introduces a method to generate realistic, color 3D simulated galaxy images using shapelets, incorporating observational effects and known redshifts, aiding in telescope design and data analysis calibration.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel simulation technique for realistic, multi-band galaxy images with complex morphologies and redshifts, based on Hubble UDF data, including observational effects.

Findings

Simulated galaxy morphologies match original UDF data.

Distribution of ellipticities aligns with wider HST COSMOS data.

Simulations are useful for calibrating image analysis and telescope design.

Abstract

We present a method to simulate color, 3-dimensional images taken with a space-based observatory by building off of the established shapelets pipeline. The simulated galaxies exhibit complex morphologies, which are realistically correlated between, and include, known redshifts. The simulations are created using galaxies from the 4 optical and near-infrared bands (B, V, i and z) of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (UDF) as a basis set to model morphologies and redshift. We include observational effects such as sky noise and pixelization and can add astronomical signals of interest such as weak gravitational lensing. The realism of the simulations is demonstrated by comparing their morphologies to the original UDF galaxies and by comparing their distribution of ellipticities as a function of redshift and magnitude to wider HST COSMOS data. These simulations have already been useful for calibrating multicolor image analysis techniques and for better optimizing the design of proposed space telescopes.