ourparams

The RIFT.misc.ourparams module serves as the central configuration hub for the RIFT pipeline. It manages the transition from command-line arguments to internal software settings, ensuring consistency across different modules.

Main Functionalities

The module provides two primary entry points: 1. ParseStandardArguments(): Processes command-line inputs using argparse and returns a namespace of options along with a debugging message dictionary. 2. PopulatePrototypeSignal(): Uses the parsed options to construct a fiducial signal (Psig), which is used as a reference for sampling and likelihood calculations.

Configuration Categories

The parameters managed by this module can be grouped into several logical categories:

Pipeline Control

These settings determine the effort and precision of the inference process. - Iterations (``–Niter``): Total number of MC iterations. - Effective Samples (``–Neff``): The target number of independent samples to be achieved. - Convergence Tests (``–convergence-tests-on``): Enables automated checks for sampler convergence.

Likelihood & Approximation

RIFT allows users to switch between different likelihood computation strategies. - Likelihood Type: Options include MargTdisc_array (default), vectorized, and vectorized_noloops (GPU optimized). - Interpolation Control (``–skip-interpolation``): Allows bypassing the interpolation layer for diagnostic purposes.

Astrophysical & Waveform Physics

Settings that define the signal model. - Approximants (``–approx``): Specifies the waveform model (e.g., TaylorT4). - Physical Bounds: Defines the range for mass, spin, and distance. - Fixed Parameters: Using flags like --fix-distance, users can pin specific parameters to injected values to reduce the dimensionality of the search.

Data & Infrastructure

Handles the loading of external data and environment setup. - LIGO Cache (``–cache-file``): Path to the GWOSC or internal cache file. - PSDs (``–psd-name``, ``–psd-file``): Configuration for the Power Spectral Density of the detectors. - NR Catalogs: Integration with Numerical Relativity (NR) catalogs via --NR-signal-group.

Sampling & Priors

Controls how the parameter space is explored. - Sky Location: Support for uniform sampling, injected locations, or external skymaps (via --sampling-prior-use-skymap). - Distance Priors: Implements specific distance sampling distributions (e.g., quadratic priors).

API Reference

ourparams.py
  • Intended to hold all standard arguments, either in

    • default command line settings OR

    • via hardcoded defaults

  • Provides command line parsing

  • Provides explicit settings for sampler parameters

RIFT.misc.ourparams.ParseStandardArguments()
RIFT.misc.ourparams.PopulatePrototypeSignal(opts)
RIFT.misc.ourparams.PopulateSamplerParameters(sampler, theEpochFiducial, tEventFiducial, distBoundGuess, Psig, opts)
RIFT.misc.ourparams.PopulateTriggerSNRs(opts)