My Projects



Sérsic Profiles of Elliptical Galaxies

This report investigates the behavior of Sérsic profiles, commonly used to describe the surface brightness distribution of galaxies and other non-stellar objects, by varying two key parameters: the Sérsic index (n) and the half-light radius (R_e or R_{1/2}). The Sérsic profile is a powerful tool for characterizing the light distribution of galaxies and is instrumental in understanding their structural properties and evolutionary processes.

To achieve the objectives of this study, we implemented Python programs to visualise the behavior of these model profiles, by plotting them. The model graphs can now be compared with real-world datasets to conclude the accuracy of Sérsic profiles. Further we also investigated on finding the relationship between half-light radius with disk scale length (R_d) and Petrosian radius (R_P ) for exponential and Sérsic profile respectively.

Project Details

Author: Susnata Chattopadhyay Date: July - Sept 2023 Guide: Dr. Soumavo Ghosh Insititute: Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie (MPIA), Heidelberg Type: Online Reading Project