Setting up BPASS models

We are using the stellar models of the BPASS V2.2.1 data release

There are two ways to install the BPASS models

  1. Run the installation script setup_bpass.py

    python3 setup_bpass.py

  2. Do it manually, as shown below:

  • From the BPASS V2.2.1 data release download the archive _bpass_v2.2.1_imfchab300.tar.gz, either from the Google Drive or the Sharepoint page. Should you prefer a different stellar model, please adjust the steps accordingly.

  • Unpack the archive and place the Perl script that is located in data/BPASS/convert_bpassv2.x.pl within the same directory as the extracted files. Alternatively, extract the BPASS archive files directly into data/BPASS.

  • Navigate to the directory containing the script and the archive files and execute the script.

    ./convert_bpassv2.x.pl

    NOTE: If the script complains about file permissions, grant the Perl file permissions to be executable

chmod +x convert_bpassv2.x.pl

Then run the script. Once run successfully, the script should produce files with the .ascii suffix.

  • In order to generate a binary file from the resulting .ascii file, the desired model file needs to be moved into the data directory of the Cloudy installation. Here, we choose the binary model:

mkdir ~/c17.03/data/binaries/
cp BPASS_burst_binary.ascii  ~/c17.03/data/binaries/bpass_v2p2.1_imf_chab300_burst_binary.ascii

  • Generating binary mod files can be achieved by executing Cloudy from the Cloudy data directory

cd ~/c17.03/data/
~/c17.03/source/cloudy.exe

Press enter and then type

compile star "binaries/bpass_v2p2.1_imf_chab300_burst_binary.ascii"

  • Press enter again (twice in total) to generate the binaries.

  • Your Cloudy data directory should now contain the following file: binaries/bpass_v2p2.1_imf_chab300_burst_binary.mod

Additionally, running the test suit should reveal if your BPASS file has been correctly installed.