Assessing The Accuracy Of Radio Astronomy Source Finding Algorithms

TL;DR

This paper introduces a method and a tool, SFAE, for evaluating the accuracy of source finding algorithms in spectral line radio astronomy, focusing on metrics like completeness, reliability, and parameter accuracy.

Contribution

It presents a novel evaluation method and a software tool for assessing and improving radio astronomy source finders using simulated data.

Findings

Demonstrated the method with ASKAP simulated data

Provided accuracy metrics for the Duchamp source finder

Identified potential areas for algorithm improvement

Abstract

This work presents a method for determining the accuracy of a source finder algorithm for spectral line radio astronomy data and the Source Finder Accuracy Evaluator (SFAE), a program that implements this method. The accuracy of a source finder is defined in terms of its completeness, reliability, and accuracy of the parameterisation of the sources that were found. These values are calculated by executing the source finder on an image with a known source catalogue, then comparing the output of the source finder to the known catalogue. The intended uses of SFAE include determining the most accurate source finders for use in a survey, determining the types of radio sources a particular source finder is capable of accurately locating, and identifying optimum parameters and areas of improvement for these algorithms. This paper demonstrates a sample of accuracy information that can be obtained through this method, using a simulated ASKAP data cube and the Duchamp source finder.