[ascl:2512.011]
PANCAKE: Color–magnitude diagram fitting for stellar populations
Zheng, Yun;
Yang, Yujiao;
Zhang, Yong-Kun;
Zheng, Zheng;
Wang, Jing;
Staveley-Smith, Lister;
Tsai, Chao-Wei;
Li, Di;
Liu, Chao;
Hu, Jingjing;
Chen, Huaxi;
Quan, Donghui;
Zheng, Yinghui;
Li, Hangyuan
PANCAKE (Python bAsed Numerical Color-magnitude-diagram Analysis pacKagE) analyzes stellar populations in nearby galaxies or star clusters by fitting observed color–magnitude diagrams (CMDs) with synthetic models using numerical methods. The package reads photometric observations, constructs template CMDs from theoretical isochrones, grids the CMD data, and executes model-free fitting to infer parameters such as star formation history and stellar population characteristics. It includes routines to preprocess input data, handle gridding and fitting workflows, and assess results such as residual maps and parameter estimates. PANCAKE supports multiple gridding strategies, integrates with Python scientific libraries for array handling and optimization, and can be applied to a variety of stellar population CMD datasets.