Reading/storing pulsar parameters#

CWInPy provides a PulsarParameters class for reading in, and storing, Tempo-style pulsar parameter files. The class can also be used to construct a set of parameters for a source. This class is based on, and designed to supercede, the PulsarParameters.py structure in LALPulsar.

class PulsarParameters(pp=None)#

Bases: object

A class to wrap the SWIG-wrapped lalpulsar.PulsarParameters structure.

This class lets you access the structure in a more Pythonic way, as well as providing a nice format for holding pulsar (.par) parameter files.

The class can be used to set numerical values (double precision, unsigned integers), strings, or vectors of floating point values, e.g.:

>>> pp = PulsarParameters()   # an empty structure
>>> pp['DECJ'] = 0.23         # set a numerical value
>>> pp['BINARY'] = 'BT'       # set a string value
>>> pp['F'] = [10.2, 1.4e-11] # set a vector of float values

Examples

An example of initialising the class using a parameter file is:

>>> pppy = PulsarParameters('apulsar.par')

or, equivalently with:

>>> pppy = PulsarParameters()
>>> pppy.read('apulsar.par')

Parameters:: pp (PulsarParameters, str) – A lalpulsar.PulsarParameters structure, or a string giving the path to a Tempo-style (.par) pulsar parameter file. If nothing is given then an empty PulsarParameters structure is created. The read() method can subsequently be used to read in a .par file, or parameters can be added.

PulsarParameters()#: Return the PulsarParameters structure

as_dict()#: Return the contents (not error at the moment) of the structure as a dictionary

convert_to_tempo_units(name, value, iserr=False)#

Convert from PulsarParameter units to TEMPO-par-file units

Parameters:

name (str) – A parameter name
value (float, array_like) – The value of the parameter
iserr (bool) – State whether where converting the parameter’s error value

Returns:

A class:~astropy.unit.Unit object with dimensions for float parameters, or a list containing class:~astropy.unit.Unit object for a list or ndarray.

Return type:

value

static convert_to_units(name, value)#

Convert parameter values to equivalent dimensional versions.

Parameters:

name (str) – The name of the parameter to convert
value – The value to the parameter to convert

Returns:

A class:~astropy.unit.Unit object with dimensions for float parameters, or a list containing class:~astropy.unit.Unit object for a list or ndarray.

Return type:

value

get_error(name)#

Return the error value for a particular parameter

Parameters:: name (str) – the name of the parameter

get_fitflag(name)#

Return the “fit flag” (a 1 or 0 depending whether the parameter with fit for by TEMPO(2) in the .par file).

Parameters:: name (str) – the name of the parameter

items()#: Return list of item tuples for each parameter in the structure

keys()#: Return a list of the parameter names stored in the PulsarParameters structure

parameter(name, withunits=False, tempounits=False)#

Return the parameter given by name.

Parameters:

name (str) – The name of the parameter to return
withunits (bool) – If True return the parameter in a form with its appropriate units
tempounits (bool) – If True return the parameter converted into the units required in a Tempo-style parameter file

pp_to_par(filename, precision=19)#

Output the PulsarParameter structure to a .par file.

Parameters:

filename (str) – The path to the output file
precision (int) – The number of decimal places for an output value

pp_to_str(precision=19)#

Convert the PulsarParameter structure to a string in the format of a Tempo-style .par file. If the structure contains information from a read-in .par file, that content will be returned.

Parameters:: precision (int) – The number of decimal places for an output value
Returns:: The contents in Tempo-format
Return type:: str

read(filename)#

Read a TEMPO-style parameter file into a PulsarParameters structure

Parameters:: filename (str) – The path to the pulsar .par file.

property updated#: Flag to state whether any new parameters have been set, or current parameters updated.

values()#: Return the values of each parameter in the structure