Download and installation

The latest version (1.7) can be downloaded from PyPI – the Python Package index. It can also be installed online using pip with this command:

 pip  install psls

This command only installs the program but you  will need to download the PSLS package from here. This package includes the source code, some examples of configuration files, and the binary files containing the parameters of the model mimicking the systematic errors.

PSLS requires (among other) the following python packages: numpy, scipy, matplotlib, and yaml.
As an alternative to the online installation with pip, the code can be installed manually in your home directory with the following command:

 python setup.py install --home=$HOME/

It is also possible to install the code for all the users:

 sudo python setup.py install

Edit the configuration file, an example is given in psls.yaml. Then, execute PSLS:

psls.py -P -V psls.yaml

The package provides various files storing the parameters describing the PLATO systematic errors:

  • PLATO_systematics_[BOL/EOL]_V2.npy: Begining Of Life (BOL) and End Of Life (EOL) systematic errors for the P5 sample (aperture mask photometry with mask updates operating) ;
  • PLATO_systematics_[EOL/BOL]_FixedMask_V2.npy: fixed aperture mask  photometry ;
  •  PLATO_systematics_[EOL/BOL]_P1_V2.npy: systematic errors representative for the P1 sample (based on the PSF fitting method)

Older systematic errors tables (version 0) are given for compatibility and consistency with Samadi et al (2019)’s results.

To simulate solar-like oscillations  representative for a dwarf star  you will need to provide as input  a set of theoretical frequencies (the .gsm files)  generated with ADIPLS.

The package provides two working examples:

  • a main sequence star (0012069449.yaml) with its associated theoretical frequencies (0012069449.gsm) generated with the ADIPLS pulsation code. The 0012069449.gsm file is stored in the sub-directory models  ;
  • a red giant star (0009882316.yaml), which does not require as input theoretical frequencies.

To simulate other main sequence stars you can   download from this website two grids of theoretical frequencies (credit: Takafumi Sonoi):

  • m+0y27l.tar.gz: stellar models with masses ranging between 0.75 and 1.15 with an initial Helium abundance Y_0=0.27 ; microscopic diffusion (no radiative accelerations) was included using the simplified equations from Michaud & Proffitt (1993). Overshoot is not included and the mixing-length parameter is fixed to 1.9.
  • m+0y24h.tar.gz: stellar models with masses ranging between 1.20 and 2.00 with an Helium abundance Y=0.24 ; diffusion was not included as this depletes heavy elements from the upper layers of the star, due to the neglect of radiative accelerations. An overshoot of 0.2 is assumed and the mixing-length parameter is fixed to 1.6.

To install the grids proceed as follows:

mkdir models
cd models
tar zxf m+0y24h.tar.gz
tar zxf m+0y27l.tar.gz
cd ..

Note that, for RGB and clump stars, the program relies on the Universal Pattern, accordingly sets of theoretical frequencies are not required for those stars.

This simulator is not an official product of the Plato Mission Consortium (PMC).If you want to simulate the representative PLATO data at pixel level, please consider PLATOSim.  http://ivs-kuleuven.github.io/PlatoSim3/

PSLS  is distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License  in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY.

(c) 2017 by Réza SAMADI, LESIA – Observatoire de Paris.

Main contributors: Alexi Deru (LESIA), Emmanuel Grolleau (LESIA), Daniel Reese (LESIA)

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