%0 Generic %1 gronke2015systematic %A Gronke, Max %A Bull, Philip %A Dijkstra, Mark %D 2015 %K lyalpha outflows transfer %T A systematic study of Lyman-Alpha transfer through outflowing shells: Model parameter estimation %U http://arxiv.org/abs/1506.03836 %X Outflows promote the escape of Lyman-$\alpha$ (Ly$\alpha$) photons from dusty interstellar media. The process of radiative transfer through interstellar outflows is often modelled by a spherically symmetric, geometrically thin shell of gas that scatters photons emitted by a central Ly$\alpha$ source. Despite its simplified geometry, this `shell model' has been surprisingly successful at reproducing observed Ly$\alpha$ line shapes. In this paper we perform automated line fitting on a set of noisy simulated shell model spectra, in order to determine whether degeneracies exist between the different shell model parameters. While there are some significant degeneracies, we find that most parameters are accurately recovered, especially the HI column density ($N_\rm HI$) and outflow velocity ($v_exp$). This work represents an important first step in determining how the shell model parameters relate to the actual physical properties of Ly$\alpha$ sources. To aid further exploration of the parameter space, we have made our simulated model spectra available through an interactive online tool.

@misc{gronke2015systematic, abstract = {Outflows promote the escape of Lyman-$\alpha$ (Ly$\alpha$) photons from dusty interstellar media. The process of radiative transfer through interstellar outflows is often modelled by a spherically symmetric, geometrically thin shell of gas that scatters photons emitted by a central Ly$\alpha$ source. Despite its simplified geometry, this `shell model' has been surprisingly successful at reproducing observed Ly$\alpha$ line shapes. In this paper we perform automated line fitting on a set of noisy simulated shell model spectra, in order to determine whether degeneracies exist between the different shell model parameters. While there are some significant degeneracies, we find that most parameters are accurately recovered, especially the HI column density ($N_{\rm HI}$) and outflow velocity ($v_{\rm exp}$). This work represents an important first step in determining how the shell model parameters relate to the actual physical properties of Ly$\alpha$ sources. To aid further exploration of the parameter space, we have made our simulated model spectra available through an interactive online tool.}, added-at = {2015-06-15T08:51:16.000+0200}, author = {Gronke, Max and Bull, Philip and Dijkstra, Mark}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/25a1ad7f06fb2db6a17bbdf75716ba339/miki}, description = {[1506.03836] A systematic study of Lyman-Alpha transfer through outflowing shells: Model parameter estimation}, interhash = {71750c6aac59d36412166f936eec79d4}, intrahash = {5a1ad7f06fb2db6a17bbdf75716ba339}, keywords = {lyalpha outflows transfer}, note = {cite arxiv:1506.03836Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures. Our grid of Lyman alpha spectra can be accessed at http://bit.ly/man-alpha through an interactive online tool}, timestamp = {2015-06-15T08:51:16.000+0200}, title = {A systematic study of Lyman-Alpha transfer through outflowing shells: Model parameter estimation}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/1506.03836}, year = 2015 }