FWHMestimater

FWHMestimater is a Python function designed to estimate the Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) of a given signal. The FWHM is a common metric used to characterize the width of a peak or a profile. It is defined as the width of the peak at 50% of its maximum amplitude.

The FWHMestimater function typically takes a signal (represented as a list or NumPy array of y-values) and optionally an array of corresponding x-values as input. It first identifies the peak within the signal, usually by finding the maximum y-value. Then, it searches for the points on either side of the peak where the signal intensity drops to half of the maximum amplitude. The difference between the x-values of these two points is then calculated to provide the FWHM estimate.

Various methods can be employed within FWHMestimater to find these half-maximum points. Some implementations might use simple linear interpolation between data points, while others may employ more sophisticated fitting techniques to a assumed peak shape (e.g., Gaussian, Lorentzian). The accuracy of the FWHM estimate can depend on the sampling density of the input signal and the method used for interpolation or fitting.

FWHMestimater is a useful tool in fields such as spectroscopy, image processing, and data analysis where characterizing the sharpness or spread of features is important. It provides a quantitative measure that can be used for comparison between different datasets or for tracking changes in peak widths over time.