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Overview

About SFFT

Saccadic Fast Fourier Transform (SFFT) is an algorithm for astronomical image subtraction in Fourier space (Hu et al., 2022). SFFT brings about a remarkable improvement of computational performance of an order of magnitude compared to other published image subtraction codes.

SFFT Speed

SFFT method is the transient detection engine for several ongoing time-domain programs, including the DESIRT survey based on DECam & DESI, the DECam GW-MMADS Survey for GW Follow-ups and the JWST Cycle 3 Archival program AR 5965. SFFT is also the core engine for the differential photometry pipeline of the Roman Supernova PIT.

SFFT vs. Others

To get a clear picture of our method, we summarize a variety of features from different perspectives for SFFT and other existing image subtraction methods:

SFFT Characteristics

Remarks

The table above only reflects the status of the SFFT method at the time of its initial publication in 2022. In Hu et al. (2024), we introduced kernel regularization into SFFT and implemented it in our software.

Additionally, to leverage the advantages of the ZOGY approach, we extended the SFFT method to be fully compatible with ZOGY's statistically closed-form framework. This hybrid method retains the general workflow of ZOGY while incorporating image-matching refinements using the SFFT code. This adaptation makes SFFT an optimal subtraction engine for space telescopes, such as JWST/NIRCam and Roman.

Publications using SFFT

See ADS Library: https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/public-libraries/lc4tiTR_T--92f9k0YrRQg