peak_prominence

Syntax

peak_prominence = 6.0e-7
Meaning

Minimum amount by which a peak must stand out from its surrounding background before pySED fits it. Use this to avoid fitting small noise features as phonon peaks.

Default

No parser default.

Notes

Prominence measures how strongly a peak stands above the surrounding baseline. In practical SED fitting, this parameter is often more important than peak_height because SED intensity can vary strongly from one branch or q-point to another.

A high peak_prominence keeps only isolated, well-separated peaks. This is useful when the spectrum has a noisy baseline, but it can miss weak acoustic modes, low-intensity optical modes, or broadened peaks near avoided crossings. A low peak_prominence detects more peaks, but it may also select noise, shoulders, or small oscillations around a broad peak.

Recommended workflow:

  • Set plot_slice = 1 and choose a representative qpoint_slice_index.

  • Start from a conservative peak_height and peak_prominence.

  • Compare the printed peak frequencies with the visible SED slice.

  • Lower peak_prominence if real branches are missing.

  • Raise peak_prominence if noise is being fitted.

The Lorentzian lifetime extracted by pySED depends on the fitted HWHM \(\gamma\). If the wrong peaks are detected here, the later lifetime output will also be wrong.

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