pidgey

A python interface for dynamics of galaxies, using existing galactic dynamics libraries in Python (galpy, gala and agama) as backends.

This is currently used in the commensurability library.

Table of Contents

• Installation
• Usage
  • With agama
  • With gala
  • With galpy
• Defining New Backends

Installation

Install this package via pip:

python -m pip install pidgey

To use pidgey, you require one of the following galactic dynamics libraries installed.

*Note: Currently, pidgey supports this version of agama (commit hash 0c5993d). agama requires WSL on Windows, as well as a C++ compiler. After you clone the repository, you may require running an explicit python setup.py install --user - this installation pattern is only supported for Python versions <=3.11.

Usage

Get the points from an orbit integration stored in an astropy.coordinates.SkyCoord object by calling the compute_orbit method of a backend. The backend can generally be obtained from the potential used for the orbit integration with the get_backend_from function.

import astropy.coordinates as c
import astropy.units as u

from pidgey import get_backend_from

def calculate_orbit(ic: c.SkyCoord,
                    potential: Any
                    ) -> c.SkyCoord:
    backend = get_backend_from(potential)
    orbit = backend.compute_orbit(ic, potential, dt=0.01 * u.Gyr, steps=1000)
    return orbit

With agama

import agama

bar_par = dict(
    type="Ferrers",
    mass=1e9,
    scaleRadius=1.0,
    axisRatioY=0.5,
    axisratioz=0.4,
    cutoffStrength=2.0,
    patternSpeed=30,
)
disk_par = dict(type="Disk", mass=5e10, scaleRadius=3, scaleHeight=0.4)
bulge_par = dict(type="Sersic", mass=1e10, scaleRadius=1, axisRatioZ=0.6)
halo_par = dict(type="NFW", mass=1e12, scaleRadius=20, axisRatioZ=0.8)
potgal = agama.Potential(disk_par, bulge_par, halo_par, bar_par)

ic = c.SkyCoord(
    x=6 * u.kpc,
    y=0 * u.kpc,
    z=2 * u.kpc,
    v_x=0 * u.km / u.s,
    v_y=150 * u.km / u.s,
    v_z=0 * u.km / u.s,
    frame="galactocentric",
    representation_type="cartesian",
)
orbit = calculate_orbit(ic, potential)

With gala

import gala.potential as gp
from gala.units import galactic

disk = gp.MiyamotoNagaiPotential(m=6e10 * u.Msun, a=3.5 * u.kpc, b=280 * u.pc, units=galactic)
halo = gp.NFWPotential(m=6e11 * u.Msun, r_s=20.0 * u.kpc, units=galactic)
bar = gp.LongMuraliBarPotential(
    m=1e10 * u.Msun,
    a=4 * u.kpc,
    b=0.8 * u.kpc,
    c=0.25 * u.kpc,
    alpha=25 * u.degree,
    units=galactic,
)
pot = gp.CCompositePotential()
pot["disk"] = disk
pot["halo"] = halo
pot["bar"] = bar

frame = gp.ConstantRotatingFrame(Omega=[0, 0, 30] * u.km / u.s / u.kpc, units=galactic)
hamiltonian = gp.Hamiltonian(pot, frame=frame)
# this hamiltonian is pidgey's "potential"
# since it has an orbit integration method

ic = c.SkyCoord(
    x=6 * u.kpc,
    y=0 * u.kpc,
    z=2 * u.kpc,
    v_x=0 * u.km / u.s,
    v_y=150 * u.km / u.s,
    v_z=0 * u.km / u.s,
    frame="galactocentric",
    representation_type="cartesian",
)
orbit = calculate_orbit(ic, hamiltonian)

With galpy

import galpy.potential as gp

omega = 30 * u.km / u.s / u.kpc
halo = gp.NFWPotential(conc=10, mvir=1)
disc = gp.MiyamotoNagaiPotential(amp=5e10 * u.solMass, a=3 * u.kpc, b=0.1 * u.kpc)
bar = gp.SoftenedNeedleBarPotential(
    amp=1e9 * u.solMass, a=1.5 * u.kpc, b=0 * u.kpc, c=0.5 * u.kpc, omegab=omega
)
potential = [halo, disc, bar]

ic = c.SkyCoord(
    x=6 * u.kpc,
    y=0 * u.kpc,
    z=2 * u.kpc,
    v_x=0 * u.km / u.s,
    v_y=150 * u.km / u.s,
    v_z=0 * u.km / u.s,
    frame="galactocentric",
    representation_type="cartesian",
)
orbit = calculate_orbit(ic, potential)

Defining New Backends

To define a new backend, you must subclass pidgey.base.Backend and define two methods and one property.

import astropy.coordinates as coord
from pidgey.base import Backend

class CustomBackend(Backend):

    @property
    def ORBIT_TYPE(self):
        # return the type of the object that stores relevant orbit information
        return CustomOrbitType

    def _compute_orbit(
        self,
        skycoord,  # initial condition, stored in SkyCoord object
        pot,  # potential defined by backend's package
        dt,  # time step
        steps,  # number of integration steps
        pattern_speed=0 * u.km / u.s / u.kpc,
        **integration_kwargs,  # any additional arguments for orbit integration
    ):
        # call your custom orbit integration routine
        # return the custom object that stores the relevant orbit information
        return CustomOrbit

    def _extract_points(self, orbit, pattern_speed=0 * u.km / u.s / u.kpc):
        # extract the points in configuration space into a SkyCoord object
        # pattern speed provided in case it is required to extract points correctly
        return coord.representation.CartesianRepresentation(x, y, z)