Python: two-curve gaussian fitting with non-linear least-squares

Question

My knowledge of maths is limited which is why I am probably stuck. I have a spectra to which I am trying to fit two Gaussian peaks. I can fit to the largest peak, but I cann

Answer 1

This code worked for me providing that you are only fitting a function that is a combination of two Gaussian distributions.

I just made a residuals function that adds two Gaussian functions and then subtracts them from the real data.

The parameters (p) that I passed to Numpy's least squares function include: the mean of the first Gaussian function (m), the difference in the mean from the first and second Gaussian functions (dm, i.e. the horizontal shift), the standard deviation of the first (sd1), and the standard deviation of the second (sd2).

import numpy as np
from scipy.optimize import leastsq
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

######################################
# Setting up test data
def norm(x, mean, sd):
  norm = []
  for i in range(x.size):
    norm += [1.0/(sd*np.sqrt(2*np.pi))*np.exp(-(x[i] - mean)**2/(2*sd**2))]
  return np.array(norm)

mean1, mean2 = 0, -2
std1, std2 = 0.5, 1 

x = np.linspace(-20, 20, 500)
y_real = norm(x, mean1, std1) + norm(x, mean2, std2)

######################################
# Solving
m, dm, sd1, sd2 = [5, 10, 1, 1]
p = [m, dm, sd1, sd2] # Initial guesses for leastsq
y_init = norm(x, m, sd1) + norm(x, m + dm, sd2) # For final comparison plot

def res(p, y, x):
  m, dm, sd1, sd2 = p
  m1 = m
  m2 = m1 + dm
  y_fit = norm(x, m1, sd1) + norm(x, m2, sd2)
  err = y - y_fit
  return err

plsq = leastsq(res, p, args = (y_real, x))

y_est = norm(x, plsq[0][0], plsq[0][2]) + norm(x, plsq[0][0] + plsq[0][1], plsq[0][3])

plt.plot(x, y_real, label='Real Data')
plt.plot(x, y_init, 'r.', label='Starting Guess')
plt.plot(x, y_est, 'g.', label='Fitted')
plt.legend()
plt.show()