Lightning Talk Proposal: Gradus.jl

[fjebaker]

Name of software library or topic

Gradus.jl

URL to software repository

https://github.com/astro-group-bristol/Gradus.jl

Name of person who will give the talk

Fergus Baker (University of Bristol)

Brief abstract

Gradus.jl is a new open-source general relativistic ray tracing (GRRT) Julia package for modelling observational signatures around black holes. The apparent image and redshift of accreting matter is distorted in the presence of strong gravity, and intrinsically related to the spacetime parameters of the metric. GRRT codes trace photon trajectories from accretion discs to distant observers, yielding energy and timing information that may be used to constrain metric parameters. Our code aims to expedite the process of studying accretion physics in any spacetime metric, using state-of-the-art optimizers together with automatic-differentiation to overcome current modelling limitations. In this lightning talk, I will illustrate what makes Gradus.jl different from other GRRT codes, highlighting our emphasis on usability and extensibility.