A scalable Bayesian framework for galaxy emission line detection and redshift estimation

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Kuhn, Alexander, Zabelle, Bonnabelle, Algeri, Sara, Jones, Galin L., Scarlata, Claudia
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Kuhn, Alexander
Zabelle, Bonnabelle
Algeri, Sara
Jones, Galin L.
Scarlata, Claudia
author_facet Kuhn, Alexander
Zabelle, Bonnabelle
Algeri, Sara
Jones, Galin L.
Scarlata, Claudia
contents Estimating galaxy redshifts is crucial for constraining key physical quantities like those in the equation of state of dark energy. Modern telescopes such as the James Webb Space Telescope, the Euclid Space Telescope, and the NASA Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope are producing massive amounts of spectroscopic data that enable precise redshift estimation. However, a galaxy's redshift can be estimated only when emission lines are present in the observed spectrum, which is unknown a priori. A novel Bayesian approach to estimating redshift and simultaneously testing for the presence of emission lines is developed. Although modern spectroscopic surveys involve millions of spectra and give rise to highly multimodal posterior distributions, the proposed framework remains computationally efficient, admitting a parallelizable implementation suitable for large-scale inference.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_24715
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A scalable Bayesian framework for galaxy emission line detection and redshift estimation
Kuhn, Alexander
Zabelle, Bonnabelle
Algeri, Sara
Jones, Galin L.
Scarlata, Claudia
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Astrophysics of Galaxies
Applications
Estimating galaxy redshifts is crucial for constraining key physical quantities like those in the equation of state of dark energy. Modern telescopes such as the James Webb Space Telescope, the Euclid Space Telescope, and the NASA Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope are producing massive amounts of spectroscopic data that enable precise redshift estimation. However, a galaxy's redshift can be estimated only when emission lines are present in the observed spectrum, which is unknown a priori. A novel Bayesian approach to estimating redshift and simultaneously testing for the presence of emission lines is developed. Although modern spectroscopic surveys involve millions of spectra and give rise to highly multimodal posterior distributions, the proposed framework remains computationally efficient, admitting a parallelizable implementation suitable for large-scale inference.
title A scalable Bayesian framework for galaxy emission line detection and redshift estimation
topic Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Astrophysics of Galaxies
Applications
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.24715