Modeling and Analysis Generic Interface for eXternal numerical codes (MAGIX)^⋆

¹ I. Physikalisches Institut, Universität zu Köln, Zülpicher Str. 77, 50937 Köln, Germany
e-mail: moeller@ph1.uni-koeln.de
² Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Auf dem Hügel 69, 53121 Bonn, Germany

Received: 20 July 2012
Accepted: 13 October 2012

Abstract

The Modeling and Analysis Generic Interface for eXternal numerical codes (MAGIX) is a model optimizer developed under the framework of the coherent set of astrophysical tools for spectroscopy (CATS) project. The MAGIX package provides a framework of an easy interface between existing codes and an iterating engine that attempts to minimize deviations of the model results from available observational data, constraining the values of the model parameters and providing corresponding error estimates. Many models (and, in principle, not only astrophysical models) can be plugged into MAGIX to explore their parameter space and find the set of parameter values that best fits observational/experimental data. MAGIX complies with the data structures and reduction tools of Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), but can be used with other astronomical and with non-astronomical data.