Using Symbolic Regression to Emulate the Radial Fourier Transform of the Sérsic Profile for Fast, Accurate and Differentiable Galaxy Profile Fitting

Galaxy profile fitting is a ubiquitous technique that provides the backbone for photometric and morphological measurements in modern extragalactic surveys. A recent innovation in profile fitting algorithms is to render, or create, the model profile in Fourier space, which aims to provide faster and more accurate results. However, the most common parameterization, the Sérsic profile, has no closed form Fourier transform, requiring the use of computationally expensive approximations. In this paper our goal is to develop an emulator to mimic the radial Fourier transform of the Sérsic profile, for use in profile fitting. We first numerically compute the radial Fourier transform and demonstrate that it varies smoothly as a function of the Sérsic index and $k$, the spatial frequency coordinate. Using this set of numerically calculated transforms as a training set, we use symbolic regression to discover an equation which approximates its behavior. This ensures the emulator will be based on computationally efficient and differentiable building blocks. We implement this novel rendering method in the pysersic profile fitter, and ensure it is accurate by conducting both injection-recovery tests using model galaxy profiles and applying multiple rendering methods to a real sample of galaxies in HSC-SSP imaging. Crucially, the Fourier emulator rendering technique enables measurements of morphological parameters of galaxies 2.5 times faster than standard methods with minimal loss in accuracy. This increased performance while maintaining accuracy is a step that ensures these tools can continue to scale with the ever-increasing flow of incoming data.