PLAsTICC Data Model

This page outlines the data model for PLAsTICC simulations used by the parent project. It is not a complete, formal, or official record for the described data model. It is intended only as a quick reference for use by developers.

Organizational Model

Simulated light-curves are divided into directories based on the model used in the simulation. For certain types of astronomical objects, multiple models were used. Light-curves from different directories/models should not be taken to represent distinct types or subtypes of objects. A summary of the models is as follows:

Model Number	Model Name
11	SNIa-normal
2	SNCC-II
3	SNCC-Ibc
2	SNCC-II
3	SNCC-Ibc
2	SNCC-II
41	SNIa-91bg
43	SNIa-x
51	KN
60	SLSN-I
99	PISN
99	ILOT
99	CART
64	TDE
70	AGN
80	RRlyrae
81	Mdwarf
83	EBE
84	MIRA
99	uLens-Binary
91	uLens-Point
99	uLens-STRING
91	uLens-Point

File Format

Light-curves are saved using the SNANA file format where files come in pairs: a header file postfixed with HEAD.fits and a photometry file postfixed with PHOT.fits. The header file provides meta-data about the observed targets (e.g., RA and Dec). The photometry file contains the simulated light-curve. Each file containing information for multiple supernovae. Definitions are provided below for a handful of columns in each file type:

Header File Column	Value Description
SNID	Unique object identifier
RA, DECL	On sky coordinates of the simulated objects
MWEBV	Simulated Milky Way extinction
PTROBS_MIN	The row number (index - 1) in the corresponding photometry table where data for the given object starts
PTROBS_MAX	The row number (index - 1) in the corresponding photometry table where data for the given object starts
SIM_MODEL_NAME	Name of the model used to simulate the light-curve

Photometry File Column	Value Description
MJD	Date of the observation
FLT	The observed filter
FIELD	The field of the observation
PHOTFLAG	Either 0 (non-detection), 4096 (detection), or 6144 (first trigger)
PHOTPROB
FLUXCAL
FLUXCALERR
PSF_SIG1
ZEROPT	The photometric zero point (27.5)
SIM_MAGOBS	The simulated magnitude of the observations