We present a flexible interactive 3D morpho-kinematical modeling application for astrophysics. Compared to other systems, our application reduces the restrictions on the physical assumptions, data type, and amount that is required for a reconstruction of an object's morphology. It is one of the first publicly available tools to apply interactive graphics to astrophysical modeling. The tool allows astrophysicists to provide a priori knowledge about the object by interactively defining 3D structural elements. By direct comparison of model prediction with observational data, model parameters can then be automatically optimized to fit the observation. The tool has already been successfully used in a number of astrophysical research projects.
The only astrophysics-suited tool that we know of which follows a paradigm similar to that of our earlier work is which is under development at MIT @cite_20 @cite_4 . Contrary to , focuses on X-ray data instead of the near-visible wavelengths which are suitable for realistic visualizations aimed at public media like planetaria @cite_9 . Also, the tool does not provide an interactive modeling system, but models are defined using scripting and Constructive Solid Geometry (CSG).
@cite_9 @cite_4 @cite_20
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Contemporary challenges in the production of digital planetarium shows include real-time rendering realism as well as the creation of authentic content. While interactive, live performance is a standard feature of professional digital-dome planetarium software today, support for physically correct rendering of astrophysical phenomena is still often limited. Similarly, the tools currently available for planetarium show production do not offer much assistance towards creating scientifically accurate models of astronomical objects. Our paper presents recent results from computer graphics research, offering solutions to contemporary challenges in digital planetarium rendering and modeling. Incorporating these algorithms into the next generation of dome display software and production tools will help advance digital planetariums toward make full use of their potential. Astronomical data generally consists of 2 or more high-resolution axes, e.g., X,Y position on the sky or wavelength and position-along-one-axis (long-slit spectrometer). Analyzing these multi-dimension observations requires combining 3D source models (including velocity effects), instrument models, and multi-dimensional data comparison and fitting. A prototype of such a "Beyond XSPEC" (Noble & Nowak, 2008) system is presented here using Chandra imag- ing and dispersed HETG grating data. Techniques used include: Monte Carlo event generation, chi-squared comparison, conjugate gradient fitting adapted to the Monte Carlo characteristics, and informative visualizations at each step. These simple baby steps of progress only scratch the surface of the computational potential that is available these days for astronomical analysis.