Abstract
Aims. The interactive software package iCosmo, designed to perform cosmological calculations is described.
Methods. iCosmo is a software package to perfom interactive cosmological calculations for the low-redshift universe. Computing distance measures, the matter power spectrum, and the growth factor is supported for any values of the cosmological parameters. It also computes derived observed quantities for several cosmological probes such as cosmic shear, baryon acoustic oscillations, and type Ia supernovae. The associated errors for these observable quantities can be derived for customised surveys, or for pre-set values corresponding to current or planned instruments. The code also allows for calculation of cosmological forecasts with Fisher matrices, which can be manipulated to combine different surveys and cosmological probes. The code is written in the IDL language and thus benefits from the convenient interactive features and scientific libraries available in this language. iCosmo can also be used as an engine to perform cosmological calculations in batch mode, and forms a convenient adaptive platform for the development of further cosmological modules. With its extensive documentation, it may also serve as a useful resource for teaching and for newcomers to the field of cosmology.
Results. The iCosmo package is described with a number of examples and command sequences. The code is freely available with documentation at http://www.icosmo.org, along with an interactive web interface and is part of the Initiative for Cosmology, a common archive for cosmological resources.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | A33 |
| Pages (from-to) | - |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Astronomy & Astrophysics |
| Volume | 528 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Apr 2011 |
Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)
- cosmology: miscellaneous
- cosmology: theory
- cosmological parameters
- methods: numerical