Improving Photometric Redshift Measurements Using BPZ
Publisher
The University of Arizona.Rights
Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.Abstract
Redshift measurements are used in astrophysics to measure distances and to constrain fundamental cosmological quantities. Although spectroscopic redshifts (spec-z) are much more reliable than photometric redshifts (photo-z), they are much more difficult or time-consuming to obtain. We seek to optimize photo-z measurements, i.e. bring their values closer to the "true" spec-z values, by using a tool called BPZ. We investigate the changes in photo-z resulting from modified galaxy templates using the SDSS catalogue of galaxies. We also consider the effect of adding artificial noise to galaxy spectra. The photo-z values were most improved when the templates contained emission lines, and noise of the same degree as in the catalogue.Type
textElectronic Thesis
Degree Name
B.S.Degree Level
bachelorsDegree Program
Honors CollegePhysics