UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Optimal strategies for identifying quasars in DESI

Farr, J; Font-Ribera, A; Pontzen, A; (2020) Optimal strategies for identifying quasars in DESI. Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics , 2020 , Article JCAP11(2020)015. 10.1088/1475-7516/2020/11/015. Green open access

[thumbnail of 2007.10348v2.pdf]
Preview
Text
2007.10348v2.pdf - Accepted Version

Download (585kB) | Preview

Abstract

As spectroscopic surveys continue to grow in size, the problem of classifying spectra targeted as quasars (QSOs) will need to move beyond its historical reliance on human experts. Instead, automatic classifiers will increasingly become the dominant classification method, leaving only small fractions of spectra to be visually inspected in ambiguous cases. In order to maximise classification accuracy, making best use of available classifiers will be of great importance, particularly when looking to identify and eliminate distinctive failure modes. In this work, we demonstrate that the machine learning-based classifier QuasarNET will be of use for future surveys such as the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), comparing its performance to the DESI pipeline classifier redrock. During the first of four passes across its footprint DESI will need to select high-z (z ⩾ 2.1) QSOs for reobservation, and so we first assess the classifiers' performance at identifying high-z QSOs from single-exposure spectra. We then quantify the classifiers' abilities to construct QSO catalogues in both low- and high-z bins, using coadded spectra to simulate end-of-survey data. For such tasks, QuasarNET is able to out-perform redrock in its current form, identifying approximately 99% of high-z QSOs from single exposures and producing QSO catalogues with sub-percent levels of contamination. By combining QuasarNET and redrock's outputs, we can further improve the classification strategies to identify up to 99.5% of high-z QSOs from single exposures and reduce final QSO catalogue contamination to below 0.5%. These combined strategies address DESI's QSO classification needs effectively.

Type: Article
Title: Optimal strategies for identifying quasars in DESI
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1088/1475-7516/2020/11/015
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1088/1475-7516/2020/11/015
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: cosmology, quasar, machine learning classification
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Physics and Astronomy
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10117473
Downloads since deposit
Loading...
61Downloads
Download activity - last month
Loading...
Download activity - last 12 months
Loading...
Downloads by country - last 12 months
Loading...

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item