The brera multiscale wavelet ROSAT HRI source catalog.: I.: The algorithm

We present a new detection algorithm based on the wavelet transform for the analysis of high-energy astronomical images. The wavelet transform, because of its multiscale structure, is suited to the optimal detection of pointlike as well as extended sources,regardless of any loss of resolution with the off-axis angle. Sources are detected as significant enhancements in the wavelet space, after the subtraction of the nonflat components of the background. Detection thresholds are computed through Monte Carlo simulations in order to establish the expected number of spurious sources per held. The source characterization is performed through a multisource fitting in the wavelet space. The procedure is designed to correctly deal with very crowded fields, allowing for the simultaneous characterization of nearby sources. To obtain a fast and reliable estimate of the source parameters and related errors, we apply a novel decimation technique that, taking into account the correlation properties of the wavelet transform, extracts a subset of almost independent coefficients. We test the performance of this algorithm on synthetic fields, analyzing with particular care the characterization of sources in poor background situations, where the assumption of Gaussian statistics does not hold. In these cases, for which standard wavelet algorithms generally provide underestimated errors, we infer errors through a procedure that relies on robust basic statistics. Our algorithm is well suited to the analysis of images taken with the new generation of X-ray instruments equipped with CCD technology, which will produce images with very low background and/or high source density.