Probabilistic Cross-Identification of Astronomical Sources

Preprint
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
  • 11 July 2007
Abstract
We present the general probabilistic formalism for cross-identifying astronomical point sources in multiple observations. Our Bayesian approach, symmetric in all observations, is the foundation of a unified framework for object matching, where not only spatial information, but also physical properties, such as colors, redshift and luminosity, can be also considered in a natural way. We provide a practical recipe to implement an efficient recursive algorithm to evaluate the Bayes factor over a set of catalogs with known circular errors in positions. This new methodology is crucial for studies leveraging the synergy of today's multi-wavelength observations and to enter the time-domain science of the upcoming survey telescopes.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: