pulsar_spectra: A pulsar flux density catalogue and spectrum fitting repository

TL;DR

The paper introduces pulsar_spectra, an open-source Python software that compiles pulsar flux measurements, fits spectral models robustly, and generates publication-quality plots, facilitating community access and analysis.

Contribution

It provides a centralized pulsar flux density catalogue with automated spectral fitting tools, enabling easy addition of new data and standardized analysis.

Findings

Robust spectral fitting implementation based on Jankowski et al. (2018)

Open-source Python software with user-friendly features

Enhanced accessibility of pulsar flux data for the astronomical community

Abstract

We present the pulsar_spectra software repository, an open-source pulsar flux density catalogue and automated spectral fitting software that finds the best spectral model and produces publication-quality plots. The Python-based software includes features that enable users in the astronomical community to add newly published spectral measurements to the catalogue as they become available. The spectral fitting software is an implementation of the method described in Jankowski et al. (2018) which uses robust statistical methods to decide on the best-fitting model for individual pulsar spectra. pulsar_spectra is motivated by the need for a centralised repository for pulsar flux density measurements to make published measurements more accessible to the astronomical community and provide a suite of tools for measuring spectra.