Overview of CMBFAST

CMBFAST is a code, written by U. Seljak and M. Zaldarriaga, for calculating the linear cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy spectra based on integration over the sources along the photon past light cone. In this approach the temperature anisotropy is written as a time integral over the product of a geometrical term and a source term. This software is no longer available for download; you should investigate CAMB in its place.

CMBFAST Online
LAMBDA has developed a web-based server-side interface to CMBFAST. A form is provided to allow entry of the parameters required by CMBFAST; CMBFAST is then run (on the web server) with these parameters. Some of the results are displayed graphically; all of the results are stored in files and made available for download through the user's web browser. This interface may be used from this site or you may download the scripts and use it on your own web server. Our interface supports CMBFAST 4.5.1.

Since CMBFAST is no longer supported by its authors, the web-based interface has been disabled on the LAMBDA site. The interface remains available for download below.

The HEALPix synfast application has been linked into the online tool so that simulated sky maps may be generated using the spectra produced by the CMBFAST run.

The web interface form is written as an HTML page using Javascript to manage it:

• CMBFAST Version 4.5.1 (Read Me)

The older version of the interface used a Perl script to create the form, with Javascript redrawing it as different options are selected:

• CMBFAST Version 4.5.1
• CMBFAST Version 4.3
• CMBFAST Version 4.0

A collection of journal references describing CMBFAST:

• Seljak, U., & Zaldarriaga, M., 1996 ApJ, 469, 437
• Zaldarriaga, M., Seljak, U., Bertschinger, E., 1998 ApJ, 494, 491
• Zaldarriaga, M., & Seljak, U., 2000 ApJS, 129, pp 431-434

CMBEASY is a C++ package, initially based on CMBFAST, written by Michael Doran of Dartmouth College. The package includes a Monte Carlo Markov Chain-based parameter likelihood routine as well. It is available from http://www.cmbeasy.org; papers describing it are http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0302138 and http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0311311.