Field tests for the ESPRESSO data analysis software

TL;DR

The paper presents the development and validation of the ESPRESSO data analysis software, designed for high-precision spectroscopic data processing in preparation for the telescope's first light, highlighting its capabilities and scientific potential.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive, interactive data analysis software tailored for ESPRESSO, with validated algorithms for complex spectroscopic analysis, including a novel approach for fitting quasar Lyman-alpha spectra.

Findings

Software is operational and validated on HARPS and UVES spectra.

The software enables reliable radial velocity and absorption feature analysis.

A new method for fitting emission and absorption in quasar spectra is demonstrated.

Abstract

The data analysis software (DAS) for VLT ESPRESSO is aimed to set a new benchmark in the treatment of spectroscopic data towards the extremely-large-telescope era, providing carefully designed, fully interactive recipes to take care of complex analysis operations (e.g. radial velocity estimation in stellar spectra, interpretation of the absorption features in quasar spectra). A few months away from the instrument's first light, the DAS is now mature for science validation, with most algorithms already implemented and operational. In this paper, I will showcase the DAS features which are currently employed on high-resolution HARPS and UVES spectra to assess the scientific reliability of the recipes and their range of application. I will give a glimpse on the science that will be possible when ESPRESSO data become available, with a particular focus on the novel approach that has been adopted to simultaneously fit the emission continuum and the absorption lines in the Lyman-alpha forest of quasar spectra.