The Python Script "PLOT-multitask.py"

by Ronaldo Rodrigues Pela

Purpose: The script PLOT-multitask.py is employed in all tutorials with real-time TDDFT calculations [1] to post-process outputs and produce relevant plots. Here, we detail how this script works.

General description:

PLOT-multitask.py can be used basically to process and to plot data from one or more files. The first case is tagged in the script as a preprocess mode, because it is intended to work as a previous step followed by a new call to plot what has been processed.

Considering these two functionalities, the arguments taken by PLOT-multitask.py can be classified in 4 groups:

  • mandatory arguments;
  • general optional arguments, common for plotting and preprocessing;
  • optional arguments for preprocessing;
  • optional arguments for plotting.

Mandatory arguments:

Argument Description
-f name of input file

General optional arguments:

Argument Default Description
-k 0 1 (for each file given) columns to read in each file (x and y). A pair of integers must be given for each file. It is overwritten by options like: --x, or --xy
-s 0 (for each file given) number of lines to skip (ignore), before reading the data (must be given for each file)
--scale 1.0 1.0 two floats with a scaling factor for the data read (x and y from all files are scaled with these factors)
--handle_complex 'no' if/how to treat the complex numbers (only for y-data). Possible choices are 'no', 'full', 'imag', 'real', and 'abs'. This can be useful e.g. when plotting the imaginary part of the dielectric function.

Optional arguments for preprocessing:

Argument Default Description
--preprocess triggers the preprocessing mode. A maximum of one of the following options can be provided: --fourier, --get_efield, --get_eps, --add, --sub. The argument --scale can also be employed
-o output.txt name of output
--add adds the data read from two files (only the columns treated as y are added)
--sub same as add, but subtracts, first y minus second y
--get_efield calculates the electric field, given a file containing the vector potential
--fourier obtains the fast fourier transform applying, if requested, a smoothing filter
--wcut 0.0 broadening used for the smoothing filter
--get_eps obtains the dielectric function, using the first file with the vector potential and the second file with the current density. One of the following options can be given: --xx, --xy, …, --zz. Default is --xx.
--ab --xx ab component of the dielectric function. a and b must be x, y or z. To be used together with --get_eps.

Optional arguments for plotting:

Argument Default Description
--jind intended to be used when plotting the current density. It triggers the y-label as 'Current Density [a.u.]' and considers --x (see next option) as default
--x, --y, --z tag for the component to be plotted. The meaning is to set -k to 0 1, 0 2, or 0 3, respectively. If --get_efield is used, then these numbers are 0 2, 0 4, and 0 6.
--nexc intended to be used when plotting the number of excitations. It triggers the y-label as '$N_{exc}(t)$', considers the default of 0 2 for -k and 1 for -s.
--imag_eps intended to be used when plotting the imaginary part of the dielectric function. It triggers the x- and y-labels, and multiplies the x-data by 27.211396132 (conversion factor: Ha to eV)
--real_eps same as before, but for the real part of the dielectric function.
--xlim two floats as limits for the x-axes
--ylim two floats as limits for the y-axes
--xlabel 'Time [a.u.]' label for the x axis
--ylabel 'y' label for the y axis
-c name of files caption to be shown in the legend box (one for each file)
--legend_position 'upper right' defines the position of the legend. Options are: 'upper right', 'lower right', 'upper left', 'lower left'
--hide_legend prevents the legend to be shown. Automatically set when only one file is used for plotting
--semilog triggers a semilog plot

Examples:




Bibliography
1. Tutorials in which this script is used:
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