Sonic-Screwdriver 1.3.1

Astrophysics outreach tool

Installation with pip

Install Sonic Screwdriver with pip: pip3 install Sonic-Screwdriver

Install additional dependencies: pip3 install typing_extensions==4.12.2

Note: Ignore the error regarding dependency conflicts.

Setup

Tkinter

Sonic Screwdriver uses Tkinter as the source of the program interface. Tkinter will need to be installed:

• Debian systems:

  sudo apt-get install python3-tk

• Fedora systems:

  sudo dnf install python3-tkinter

Dalek

Sonic Screwdriver is built upon Dalek, an emulator for Tardis an open-source Monte Carlo radiative-transfer spectral synthesis code. Sonic Screwdriver makes use of the Dalek created neural networks to generate type Ia supernova spectra from given inputs.

Download the Dalek neural networks from Dalek data. Lastly unzip the downloaded file.

Configuration file

Create a configuration file:

• Create file called {my_config}.py
• Setup the following variables:
  • dalek_dir = {dalek_data_dir} where {dalek_data_dir} is the path to the directory containing the Dalek data downloaded in the previous setup step.
  • instruments_dir = {instruments_dir} where {instruments_dir} is the path to the directory where the instrument sound files will be downloaded to and stored.
  • output_dir = {output_dir} where {output_dir} is the directory for which the output files of Sonic Screwdriver will be stored. (Only two files are stored at any given time.)

An example configuration file is provided here

Running Sonic Screwdriver

Sonic Screwdriver is run directly from the command line:

cd directory_containing_{my_config.py}

python3 -m sonicscrewdriver.sonic_screwdriver -i {my_config}

Using Sonic Screwdriver

Using Sonic Screwdriver is simple!

Simply change the supernova option sliders, select an instrument, select a musical scale, and then hit "Simulate". Sonic Screwdriver will then use Dalek to produce a supernova spectrum from the options you chose, which will be displayed on the right. Sonic Screwdriver will also sonify the spectrum using Strauss. To play the spectrum sonifcation hit the "play" button and to stop the audio hit the "stop" button.

Have fun producing and sonifying supernova spectra!