From Images to Features: Unbiased Morphology Classification via Variational Auto-Encoders and Domain Adaptation

We present a novel approach for the dimensionality reduction of galaxy images by leveraging a combination of variational auto-encoders (VAE) and domain adaptation (DA). We demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach using a sample of low redshift galaxies with detailed morphological type labels from the Galaxy-Zoo DECaLS project. We show that 40-dimensional latent variables can effectively reproduce most morphological features in galaxy images. To further validate the effectiveness of our approach, we utilised a classical random forest (RF) classifier on the 40-dimensional latent variables to make detailed morphology feature classifications. This approach performs similarly to a direct neural network application on galaxy images. We further enhance our model by tuning the VAE network via DA using galaxies in the overlapping footprint of DECaLS and BASS+MzLS, enabling the unbiased application of our model to galaxy images in both surveys. We observed that noise suppression during DA led to even better morphological feature extraction and classification performance. Overall, this combination of VAE and DA can be applied to achieve image dimensionality reduction, defect image identification, and morphology classification in large optical surveys.

Active learning with RESSPECT: Resource allocation for extragalactic astronomical transients

The recent increase in volume and complexity of available astronomical data has led to a wide use of supervised machine learning techniques. Active learning strategies have been proposed as an alternative to optimize the distribution of scarce labeling resources. However, due to the specific conditions in which labels can be acquired, fundamental assumptions, such as sample representativeness and labeling cost stability cannot be fulfilled. The Recommendation System for Spectroscopic follow-up (RESSPECT) project aims to enable the construction of optimized training samples for the Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), taking into account a realistic description of the astronomical data environment. In this work, we test the robustness of active learning techniques in a realistic simulated astronomical data scenario. Our experiment takes into account the evolution of training and pool samples, different costs per object, and two different sources of budget. Results show that traditional active learning strategies significantly outperform random sampling. Nevertheless, more complex batch strategies are not able to significantly overcome simple uncertainty sampling techniques. Our findings illustrate three important points: 1) active learning strategies are a powerful tool to optimize the label-acquisition task in astronomy, 2) for upcoming large surveys like LSST, such techniques allow us to tailor the construction of the training sample for the first day of the survey, and 3) the peculiar data environment related to the detection of astronomical transients is a fertile ground that calls for the development of tailored machine learning algorithms.