GCMicrolensing Documentation
Tools for simulating gravitational microlensing events with single, binary, and triple lens systems.
Overview
GCMicrolensing is a Python package for simulating gravitational microlensing events. It provides comprehensive tools for modeling single lens, binary lens, and triple lens systems with both photometric (light curve) and astrometric (centroid shift) calculations.
Key Features
Single Lens Systems (1L1S): Point source and extended source light curves
Binary Lens Systems (2L1S): Complex caustic structures and light curves
Triple Lens Systems (3L1S): Advanced multi-lens simulations
Astrometric Calculations: Centroid shift predictions
Interactive Animations: Visualize lensing events in real-time
GIF Export: Save animations as GIF files for documentation and presentations
Multiple Backends: VBMicrolensing and TripleLensing support
Quick Start
Install the package:
pip install GCMicrolensing
Basic usage:
from GCMicrolensing.models import OneL1S
# Create a single lens model
model = OneL1S(t0=2450000, tE=20, rho=0.001, u0_list=[0.1, 0.5, 1.0])
# Plot the light curve
model.plot_light_curve()
# Create an animation
animation = model.animate()
# Display the animation (if you're running this in a Jupyter notebook)
display(animation)
# Write the animation to an html file
with open("microlensing_animation.html", "w") as f:
f.write(animation.data)
# Save the animation as a GIF file
model.animate(save_gif="microlensing_animation.gif")
