[BART-devel] radiative transfer code comparison tests

[aj-foster]

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From: jh***@ph*** (Joe Harrington)
Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2017 17:51:06 -0400
Subject: [BART-devel] radiative transfer code comparison tests

Hi gang,

We're putting together the final BART paper (actually paper I, but the
last to be written). It includes the tests, some of which are
comparisons to other codes. We've thought of many useful tests, and
implemented several. Some are analytically verifiable, but others
require comparison to other codes. That's where you come in.

There's tons of RT codes being written now. The community needs a
standard to verify them against, kind of like the Held-Suarez test for
GCMs. So, we're going to do that publicly, starting the process as part
of the BART papers. You're the ones who came first to my mind as having
codes that are well established and respected. I'm sure I missed
someone obvious and we can include them if people want.

For the comparison tests, it's probably least work for the community
(you!) for us to ask if you have some computations you can just pull off
the shelf that everyone already has. There have been a number of
retrieval exercises recently, for example. We'd coordinate with their
publication plans.

Otherwise, a cloudless HD 209-like atmosphere with some specified T(p)
profile and given molecular abundances is one we've thought of. We
should also compare single-molecule sp***@co*** and T in front
of a cold planet, using the same line list as each other, and of course
the same for CIAs.

Here is a Google doc where we can define a few tests and share some
plots/data files:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BmcaRN58gdQjh-1x__q5FqW7B5rDeofqgOO-DwjbJ7g/edit?usp=sharing

We can establish some basic tests now and expand the set in the future
to include different kinds of planets, clouds, heterogeneous planets, or
other spectral calculations. Our hope is to have a first batch of
tests, enough for BART paper 1, by the end of March, so more in the vein
of collecting some cases from you and comparing our code to it than
asking you to code a lot of new tests right away.

If you're interested, please subscribe to the ba***@pl***
mailing list, and in any case copy that list on all replies. This is an
archived discussion list, and currently gets about one email a month, so
this will be the main discussion there. If you want something NOT to be
publicly visible, don't copy the list, and note that so we all know.

Thanks,

--jh--
Prof. Joseph Harrington
Planetary Sciences Group
Department of Physics
University of Central Florida
4111 Libra Drive PSB 441
Orlando, FL 32816-2385
jh***@ph***
planets.ucf.edu
skype: joeharr4
+1 321-696-9914 cell