Deep transfer learning for star cluster classification: I. application to the PHANGS– HST survey
Abstract
ABSTRACT We present the results of a proof-of-concept experiment that demonstrates that deep learning can successfully be used for production-scale classification of compact star clusters detected in Hubble Space Telescope(HST) ultraviolet-optical imaging of nearby spiral galaxies ($$D\lesssim 20\, \textrm{Mpc}$$) in the Physics at High Angular Resolution in Nearby GalaxieS (PHANGS)–HST survey. Given the relatively small nature of existing, human-labelled star cluster samples, we transfer the knowledge of state-of-the-art neural network models for real-object recognition to classify star clusters candidates into four morphological classes. We perform a series of experiments to determine the dependence of classification performance on neural network architecture (ResNet18 and VGG19-BN), training data sets curated by either a single expert or three astronomers, and the size of the images used for training. We find that the overall classification accuracies are not significantly affected by these choices. The networks are used to classify star cluster candidates in the PHANGS–HST galaxy NGC 1559, which was not included in the training samples. The resulting prediction accuracies are 70 per cent, 40 per cent, 40–50 per cent, and 50–70 per cent for class 1, 2, 3 star clusters, and class 4 non-clusters, respectively. This performance is competitive with consistency achieved in previously published human and automated quantitative classification of star cluster candidate samples (70–80 per cent, 40–50 per cent, 40–50 per cent, and 60–70 per cent). The methods introduced herein lay the foundations to automate classification for star clusters at scale, and exhibit the need to prepare a standardized data set of human-labelled star cluster classifications, agreed upon by a full range of experts in the field, to further improve the performance of the networks introduced in this study.
- Authors:
-
- NCSA, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA, Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- NCSA, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA, Department of Astronomy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Caltech/IPAC, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Riverside, CA 92507, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Centro de Astronomía, Universidad de Antofagasta, Avenida Angamos 601, Antofagasta 1270300, Chile
- Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg, Grabengasse 1, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany
- Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstrasse 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
- Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science, Pasadena, CA 91101, USA, Departamento de Astronomía, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 36-D, Santiago, Chile
- Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science, Pasadena, CA 91101, USA, Las Campanas Observatory, Colina El Pino, Casilla 601, La Serena, Chile
- Publication Date:
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1604098
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-06CH11357
- Resource Type:
- Published Article
- Journal Name:
- Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Journal Volume: 493 Journal Issue: 3; Journal ID: ISSN 0035-8711
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- Country of Publication:
- United Kingdom
- Language:
- English
Citation Formats
Wei, Wei, Huerta, E. A., Whitmore, Bradley C., Lee, Janice C., Hannon, Stephen, Chandar, Rupali, Dale, Daniel A., Larson, Kirsten L., Thilker, David A., Ubeda, Leonardo, Boquien, Médéric, Chevance, Mélanie, Kruijssen, J. M. Diederik, Schruba, Andreas, Blanc, Guillermo A., and Congiu, Enrico. Deep transfer learning for star cluster classification: I. application to the PHANGS– HST survey. United Kingdom: N. p., 2020.
Web. doi:10.1093/mnras/staa325.
Wei, Wei, Huerta, E. A., Whitmore, Bradley C., Lee, Janice C., Hannon, Stephen, Chandar, Rupali, Dale, Daniel A., Larson, Kirsten L., Thilker, David A., Ubeda, Leonardo, Boquien, Médéric, Chevance, Mélanie, Kruijssen, J. M. Diederik, Schruba, Andreas, Blanc, Guillermo A., & Congiu, Enrico. Deep transfer learning for star cluster classification: I. application to the PHANGS– HST survey. United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staa325
Wei, Wei, Huerta, E. A., Whitmore, Bradley C., Lee, Janice C., Hannon, Stephen, Chandar, Rupali, Dale, Daniel A., Larson, Kirsten L., Thilker, David A., Ubeda, Leonardo, Boquien, Médéric, Chevance, Mélanie, Kruijssen, J. M. Diederik, Schruba, Andreas, Blanc, Guillermo A., and Congiu, Enrico. Tue .
"Deep transfer learning for star cluster classification: I. application to the PHANGS– HST survey". United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staa325.
@article{osti_1604098,
title = {Deep transfer learning for star cluster classification: I. application to the PHANGS– HST survey},
author = {Wei, Wei and Huerta, E. A. and Whitmore, Bradley C. and Lee, Janice C. and Hannon, Stephen and Chandar, Rupali and Dale, Daniel A. and Larson, Kirsten L. and Thilker, David A. and Ubeda, Leonardo and Boquien, Médéric and Chevance, Mélanie and Kruijssen, J. M. Diederik and Schruba, Andreas and Blanc, Guillermo A. and Congiu, Enrico},
abstractNote = {ABSTRACT We present the results of a proof-of-concept experiment that demonstrates that deep learning can successfully be used for production-scale classification of compact star clusters detected in Hubble Space Telescope(HST) ultraviolet-optical imaging of nearby spiral galaxies ($D\lesssim 20\, \textrm{Mpc}$) in the Physics at High Angular Resolution in Nearby GalaxieS (PHANGS)–HST survey. Given the relatively small nature of existing, human-labelled star cluster samples, we transfer the knowledge of state-of-the-art neural network models for real-object recognition to classify star clusters candidates into four morphological classes. We perform a series of experiments to determine the dependence of classification performance on neural network architecture (ResNet18 and VGG19-BN), training data sets curated by either a single expert or three astronomers, and the size of the images used for training. We find that the overall classification accuracies are not significantly affected by these choices. The networks are used to classify star cluster candidates in the PHANGS–HST galaxy NGC 1559, which was not included in the training samples. The resulting prediction accuracies are 70 per cent, 40 per cent, 40–50 per cent, and 50–70 per cent for class 1, 2, 3 star clusters, and class 4 non-clusters, respectively. This performance is competitive with consistency achieved in previously published human and automated quantitative classification of star cluster candidate samples (70–80 per cent, 40–50 per cent, 40–50 per cent, and 60–70 per cent). The methods introduced herein lay the foundations to automate classification for star clusters at scale, and exhibit the need to prepare a standardized data set of human-labelled star cluster classifications, agreed upon by a full range of experts in the field, to further improve the performance of the networks introduced in this study.},
doi = {10.1093/mnras/staa325},
journal = {Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society},
number = 3,
volume = 493,
place = {United Kingdom},
year = {Tue Feb 04 00:00:00 EST 2020},
month = {Tue Feb 04 00:00:00 EST 2020}
}
https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staa325
Web of Science
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