File Formats

Input Spectra

SESAMME assumes that your integrated-light (IL) star cluster spectrum has already undergone some amount of preprocessing before comparison with the SSP model cube (see the next section The SSP Model Cube). The most important pre-processing item is that your spectrum must be in the rest frame. Other recommended preparatory steps include:

• Resampling to the wavelength grid of your SSP models, if necessary.

• Correction for foreground (Milky Way) extinction.

• Modeling and removal of HI absorption profile (if using observations that cover Ly\(\alpha\)).

The SSP Model Cube

While SESAMME can accept virtually any set of model SSPs (e.g., those from BPASS or Starburst99) to characterize an IL spectrum, it expects those SSPs to be read in a particular format.