RM-Tools: Software for Analyzing Polarized Radio Spectra

The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 2026 Open access

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Authors: Cameron L. Van Eck, Cormac Purcell, Lerato Sebokolodi, A. J. M. Thomson, Yik Ki, Lindsey Oberhelman, E. Osinga, Shannon Vanderwoude, Jennifer West, Shinsuke Ideguchi, Dylan M. Paré, Jane Kaczmarek
+10 more Tony Willis, Takuya Akahori, C. S. Anderson, B. M. Gaensler, S. P. O’Sullivan, Xiaohui Sun, A. D. Amaral, C. J. Riseley, J. M. Stil, X. Zhang
DOI: 10.3847/1538-4365/ae3dea
Cited by: 7
References: 76

Abstract

Abstract Polarization observations using modern radio telescopes cover large numbers of frequency channels over broad bandwidths, and require advanced techniques to extract reliable scientific results. We present RM-Tools , analysis software for deriving polarization properties, such as Faraday rotation measures, from spectropolarimetric observations of linearly polarized radio sources. The software makes use of techniques such as rotation measure synthesis and QU-model fitting, along with many features to simplify and enhance the analysis of radio polarization data. RM-Tools is currently the main software that large-area polarization sky surveys such as POSSUM and VLASS deploy for science-ready data processing. The software code is freely available and can be used with data from a wide range of telescopes.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Radio Astronomy Observations and Technology Galaxies: Formation Evolution Phenomena Electrical and Electromagnetic Research

Publication details

Journal / source
The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Publisher
American Astronomical Society
Volume
283
Issue
1
Pages
28–28
Publication date
27 February 2026
Language
EN