Overview of mesalab Workflows

mesalab is designed to automate the post-processing and analysis of stellar evolution simulations performed with MESA.

The main steps in mesalab are:

  1. MESA Run Analysis Workflow

  2. Plotting Workflow (Optional)

  3. GYRE Workflow (Optional)

Each of these steps can be enabled or disabled independently via your YAML configuration file. This allows you to utilize mesalab’s execution to your specific needs, whether you want to run a full analysis pipeline or just a subset of operations.

The Analysis Flow

The steps in mesalab generally follow a sequential dependency:

  1. MESA Run Analysis Workflow: First, mesalab loads your raw MESA output files (history.data and the inlist file) and the individual stellar profile files (profileX.data and profiles.index) and extracts key stellar parameters from them. Then, in the next step, it identifies significant evolutionary phases: hydrogen depletion, helium core ignition and the blue loop phase, if present. In this step, mesalab creates structured data summaries (e.g., in CSV format). This processed data then serves as the primary input for subsequent steps.

  2. Plotting Workflow (Optional): This phase depends on the output of the MESA Run Analysis. It takes the summarized and processed data to generate various types of plots, such as Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagrams, instability strip heatmaps, and blue loop visualizations. It helps you visually check the evolutionary tracks and pulsation properties of your MESA models.

  3. GYRE Workflow (Optional): This phase depends on the results of the MESA Run Analysis, specifically the models that the MESA Run Analysis identifies blue loop crossers. For these filtered models, it then requires their corresponding profileX.data and profileX.data.GYRE files. If enabled, mesalab prepares these selected MESA stellar profiles for the GYRE pulsation code. It then executes GYRE based on a user-provided gyre.in template, and provides data on pulsation frequencies and stability. This workflow requires a separate installation of the GYRE code on your system.

To configure and effectively utilize mesalab for automating your stellar modeling analysis tasks, proceed to the dedicated sections for a detailed description of each workflow.