Identikit

Joshua E. Barnes & John E. Hibbard

Identikit is a numerical method, combining test-particle and self-consistent techniques, which allows a rapid exploration of the parameter space of galactic encounters. It can be used to find the parameters required to reproduce the observed morphology and kinematics of interacting disk galaxies.

Identikit 1 model (points) matching a self-consistent N-body simulation of a galactic collision (grey scale). Each panel shows a different projection: top left shows sky-plane (X,Y), top right shows velocity-position (V, Y); bottom left shows position-velocity (X, V), bottom right shows (X, Z).		Identikit 2 model of NGC 4676. Grey-scale shows HI data (Hibbard & van Gorkom 1996), projected on (α,δ) plane (top left), (V,δ) plane (top right), and (α,V) plane (bottom left). Dark blue crosses mark galaxy centers, cyan and magenta boxes are phase-space regions, and points show model derived using these constraints. Spherical lattice (bottom right) displays functions used to select viewing direction.

• Identikit 1: A Modeling Tool for Interacting Disk Galaxies [pdf file]

  — Paper describing the Identikit 1 system and a blind test of its abilities. Published in The Astronomical Journal, 137, 3071—3090, February 2009.

• Identikit 2: An Algorithm for Reconstructing Galaxy Collisions [pdf file]

  — Paper describing the Identikit 2 algorithm. Published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 413, 2860—2872, June 2011.

• Identikit Interface: BROKEN

  — Web interface to Identikit 1 allowed the user to select encounter and viewing parameters, and see the results instantaneously. Unfortunately, the computer hardware which supported this service has failed. The Identikit Interface will not be available until further notice.

• Identikit Matches

  — Random merger simulations from the Identikit 1 paper; click on individual systems to see matches.

• Identikit Parameters

  — Summary of the parameters needed to define an encounter between disk galaxies.

• Identikit 1 Software [tar file]

  — Source code and key makefiles for Identikit 1.7. Requires the Zeno software environment.

• Identikit 2 Software [tar file]

  — Source code and key makefiles for Identikit 2.2. Requires the Zeno software environment.

• Sample Data [directory]

  — A small set of data files for experimenting with the Identikit software. The file jhat12X.dat records initial spin directions of test particles, while the r124_*.dat files are individual frames from an encounter between equal-mass galaxies. After downloading these files, do
      ./idkit jhat12X.dat r124_%04x.dat incr=0x100
  to try the program.

• Merger Modeling with IDENTIKIT

  NSF proposal to develop and apply IDENTIKIT (declined). See the Panel Summary and reviews one and two.

• Identikit 1: A Modeling Tool for Interacting Disk Galaxies

  — Talk given at Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, June 4, 2008.

• Identikit (Mk0): An N-body/Data Visualization Tool

  — John Hibbard's page describing an earlier version.

Joshua E. Barnes      (barnes at ifa.hawaii.edu) Updated: 07 November 2012 http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/~barnes/research/identikit/index.html