Daniel Galán Diéguez

SpecBlur is an intuitive and flexible Python tool designed to simulate and study the effects of various physical and observational factors on stellar spectra. This script enables researchers to modify spectra systematically, making it an essential resource for exploring how rotation, turbulence, resolution, and noise influence spectral features.

• Signal-to-Noise Ratio Calculation
  SpecBlur accurately calculates the initial signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of the input spectrum. This is achieved using robust statistical methods, including the Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) and third-order Median Absolute Deviation (MAD). Users can either analyze the entire spectrum or specify a continuum range for more targeted calculations.


• Spectral Broadening
  The tool applies broadening effects caused by rotational and macroturbulent motions. A rotation profile based on classical formulations is applied to simulate the Doppler broadening introduced by stellar rotation. Additionally, a radial-tangential macroturbulence profile can be included to model the additional broadening caused by large-scale turbulent flows in the stellar atmosphere.


• Degradation by Resolution and Noise
  SpecBlur simulates the effects of observational features by resolution degradation and noise addition.

SpecBlur generates outputs tailored to the user's requirements, including degraded spectra and relevant metadata about the applied transformations. The left figure reflects SpecBlur capabilities, showing a 35000K synthetic spectrum degraded in S/N, braodening and resolution. By providing these functionalities, SpecBlur equips astronomers with a versatile tool to simulate observational conditions and study their impact on spectral diagnostics, such as line ratios and velocity measurements.