HEALPix is an open source software for pixelization, hierarchical indexation, synthesis, analysis, and visualization of data on the sphere.
As suggested in the name, the pixelization will produce a subdivision of a spherical surface in which each of the pixels covers the same surface area as every other pixel.
The current version of the HEALPix package (to be updated semi-regularly) contains a suite of programs which allow all of the following (and more):
· Programs for fast simulation and analysis of full-sky maps of CMB temperature and polarization anisotropy (sky maps preview) up to sub-arcminute angular resolution (your computer's RAM permitting, see benchmarks).
· Routines to read and write the FITS formatted map data sets, and allowing the IDL-based display of your results.
· Programs to search the maps for pixel neighbours and extrema of a random field.
· Programs to manage, modify and rotate spherical harmonic coefficients of arbritrary maps
· Programs to perform median filtering of sky maps
· Automated installation and build scripts.
· Most critical routines are parallelised
· Fortan 90 and C++ implementation
· Optimised P_lm recursion for better performance (2 to 3 times faster than previous release).
· Radek Stompor's P_lm recursion accurate for computations up to l = 10000.
· A constrained realization facility.
· Improved IDL display and file handling routines.
· An IDL toolkit for pixel manipulation and FITS file manipulation.
· A Fortran 90 MAP2GIF visualization facility.
· Improved documentation (PDF and HTML)
What's New in This Release: [ read full changelog ]
cartview, gnomview, mollview, orthview:
· export of projected map into a FITS file (FITS keyword), or
· an IDL array (MAP_OUT option) now available with all viewing
· routines,
· added CHARTHICK support; accept array of OUTLINE structures
· (if they have the same fields);
· remove_dipole now outputs the monopole and dipole covariance
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