Comments on the Voigt function implementation in the Astropy and SpectraPlot.com packages. (July 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Schreier, Franz
• Is Part Of: Journal of quantitative spectroscopy & radiative transfer. Volume 213(2018)
• Page Start: 13
• Page End: 16
• Publication Date: 2018-07
• Subjects: Complex error function -- Complex probability function -- Plasma dispersion function -- Fadde(y)eva function; Spectrum analysis -- Periodicals; Radiation -- Periodicals; Analyse spectrale -- Périodiques; Rayonnement -- Périodiques; Radiation; Spectrum analysis; Periodicals; 543.0858
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jqsrt.2018.03.019
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-4073

Abstract

Highlights: Assessment of the McLean et al. (1994) approximation for the Voigt function. Reasonably good for large y, but substantial accuracy problems for small y. Moderate computational efficiency. Abstract: The Voigt profile is important for spectroscopy, astrophysics, and many other fields of physics, but is notoriously difficult to compute. McLean et al. [1] [J. Electron Spectrosc. & Relat. Phenom., 1994] have proposed an approximation using a sum of Lorentzians. Our assessment indicates that this algorithm has significant errors for small arguments. After a brief survey of the requirements for spectroscopy we give a short list of both efficient and accurate codes and recommend implementations based on rational approximations.