Stingray Submission

[matteobachetti]

Submitting Author: @matteobachetti
All current maintainers: @dhuppenkothen, @mgullik, @jdswinbank, @matteolucchini1
Package Name: Stingray
One-Line Description of Package: A spectral-timing software package for astrophysical X-ray (and other) data
Repository Link: https://github.com/stingraysoftware/stingray

Version submitted: 2.1
EiC: @cmarmo
Editor: @hamogu
Reviewer 1: @taldcroft
Reviewer 2: @masonng-astro
Archive:
JOSS DOI: 10.21105/joss.07389
Version accepted: 2.1
Date accepted (month/day/year): 10/01/2024

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Description

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Stingray is a Python library for "spectral timing", i.e. time-series analysis techniques that can be used to study how variability changes or correlates between different energy bands/wavelengths. It is Astropy-affiliated, and with an ever growing user base now comprising hundreds of researchers around the globe.

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  • Data retrieval
  • Data extraction
  • Data processing/munging
  • Data deposition
  • Data validation and testing
  • Data visualization¹
  • Workflow automation
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  • Scientific software wrappers
  • Database interoperability

Domain Specific

• Geospatial
• Education

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This package is mostly focused on the analysis of new data from high-energy missions. We added data validation and testing because it can be used as a quick look tool to point out possible anomalies in observations (e.g. solar or other background flares).

• Who is the target audience and what are scientific applications of this package?

The target audience is principally researchers and students of X-ray and multi-wavelength astronomy.
This package fills a void for a free and open source (spectral-)timing package for X-ray astronomy. XRONOS, formerly maintained by HEASARC, is currently unmaintained, and the analysis of high-energy timeseries is done mostly with proprietary software or mission-specific packages. We provide a Python package that eases the learning curve for newcomers, also thanks to extensive tutorials based on Jupyter notebooks, and provides experts with a powerful, robust library for their analysis. We provide software to analyze astronomical time series and do a number of things, including periodicity searches, time lag calculations, covariance spectra, power spectral modeling.

• Are there other Python packages that accomplish the same thing? If so, how does yours differ?

Our package is arguably the most well-known Python package for X-ray spectral timing.

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#195

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1. Please fill out a pre-submission inquiry before submitting a data visualization package. ↩

[cmarmo]

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Editor comments

Stingray is in excellent form! 💪
Congratulations!
I am going to check the availability of our Astropy editors and we will be back to you shortly.

[cmarmo]

Hello @matteobachetti I am pleased to announce that @hamogu will take care of your submission as editor.
Thank you Moritz!
I'm wishing to all of you a nice review process! :)