-
set up your SAS environment (following the
SAS
start-up thread)
-
start
xmmselect
xmmselect table=MOS.evt &
First a window pops-up, asking if you wish to visualize
the "[...] selection expression [...]" corresponding to "[...]
data subspace information [...]". In practise,
xmmselect
is asking you if you wish to see the data screening expression,
which was employed to generate the event list. The answer to this
question does not affect the following steps.
The xmmselect
call pops-up a window as shown in Fig.1.
Fig.1: The main
xmmselect window
In this window, we identify:
- a data screening widget (top)
- a data column panel (middle)
- the buttons 1D region and 2D region, which allow
to translate selection expression defined in a
grace
or ds9
window, respectively, into proper
selectlib
expressions
- "action" buttons (bottom)
-
extract a single event (i.e. pattern zero only), high energy (E
> 10 keV) light curve, to identify intervals of flaring particle background.
This is done by:
- writing the following selection expression in the data screening
widget: '#XMMEA_EM && (PI>10000) && (PATTERN==0)'
- clicking on the radio button close to the TIME column
in the data column panel
- clicking on "OGIP rate curve"
This will pop-up another window: the
evselect
parameter user interface (see Fig.2).
Fig.2: The main
evselect window
On this multi-panel window, one
should at least:
- click on the Lightcurve menu (and this
leads you to the sub-panel shown in Fig.3)
- define the output file name in the rateset widget
(e.g.: rateMOS.fits)
- define the time bin size (in seconds) in the timebinsize
widget
- click Run
Fig.3: The Lightcurve panel in the
evselect window
As customary for SAS task, each widget, button or menu in the
evselect window
corresponds to a task parameter. The whole list of
available evselect
parameters, with their description, is
available at the evselect
task description.
Once Run is clicked,
dsplot is silently
run on the created light curve, and the corresponding
grace
window appears (see Fig.4)
- define a "low-background" interval on the light curve,
using the following steps in the
grace
window:
- go to the item Edit/Regions/Define
- define region type (e.g.: in Horiz. Range)
- click Define
- click once with the left mouse on the
grace
window to define the starting time of the first interval,
and once to define the end time.
- repeat this as many time as needed. Just be aware that
the counter Define region: needs to be updated, if
you want to define everal regions (i.e., not to overwrite the
old ones)
Fig.4: A
grace
window, displaying a light curve, and one interval created as explained
in text
Be aware that
grace
allows you to define several different types of intervals.
Among the normally most useful: Above/Below line,
in Vert. Range, Out of Horiz/Vert. Range,
Left/Right of line
When you are happy with your definition, click the button
1D region in the
xmmselect
window. The selection region will be automatically
transferred into the data selection widget of the
xmmselect
window, and properly translated into
a
selectlib
expression
-
extract an image (sky coordinates in this example; extraction in detector
- DET[XY] - coordinates is possible as well, and may be preferable
for some specific scientific needs).
This is accomplished by:
- in the data screening widget:
- substitute (PATTERN==0) with (PATTERN<=12)
- remove (PI>10000)
- clicking the square checkbox besides X and Y
in the data column
xmmselect
panel
- click on Image
- go the the Image subpanel in the
evselect
window (see Fig.5)
- change at least the file name in the imageset window
(e.g. to MOSimage.fits)
- click Run
Fig.5: The Image panel in the
evselect window
xmmselect
will automatically launch a
ds9
window on the created image
-
select the region, from which the spectrum shall be accumulated, using
the
Regions/Shape/Circle in ds9 (see Fig.6)
![](MOS_spectrum_thread_fig1.gif)
Fig.6: ds9 main window. A circular region (green circle)
has been defined using the highlighted menu.
- propagate the selected region into the
xmmselect
data screening panel, by clicking the
2D region button
-
extract a source spectrum, using selection expressions defined
so far, and restricting the patterns to single and doubles:
- click the radio button close to PI in the data column
xmmselect
panel
- click OGIP Spectrum
- go the the Spectrum subpanel in the
evselect
window (see Fig.7)
- define the binning parameters:
- withspectrumset active
- spectrumset=MOSsource_spectrum.fits
- spectralbinsize=15
- withspecranges active
- specchannelmin=0
- specchannelmax=11999
- click Run
Fig.7: The Spectrum panel in the
evselect window
-
extract a background spectrum using the same steps 6. to 8. above.
Have a look at the "EPIC status of
calibration and data analysis" document
(XMM-SOC-CAL-TN-0018)
for latest recommendations on how to select source and background regions.
In the following, we assume that the background is extracted from a source-free
region on the same CCD and at roughly the same off-axis angle as the source
under investigation.
If you are interested in learning how to extract the background spectra
from
blank sky event lists, please click
here.
-
generate a redistribution matrix
Currently there are two possible approaches:
a) use the SAS task rmfgen
to create a redistribution matrix
for your previously extracted spectrum:
NOTE: This can take long (>30 min) on low-performance computers...
Fig.8: The
rmfgen
launch GUI interface
b) use the ready-made (canned) matrices available at the following URL:
http://xmm.esac.esa.int/external/xmm_sw_cal/calib/epic_files.shtml
-
generate an ancillary file (for extended sources use extendedsource=yes
detmaptype=flat or dataset)
NOTE: arfgen reads in the pattern range from the
DSS information in the spectrum dataset, and accumulates the quantum efficiency
curves over those patterns, which is then combined to the other constituents
of the ARF. Be aware that the entire range of allowed patterns are assumed
if no pattern range is found in the DSS.
- launch the arfgen
GUI interface (see Fig.9)
arfgen -d
-
define the following parameters
- spectrumset=MOSsource_spectrum.fits
- arfset=MOS.arf
- withrmfset=yes (on calibration panel)
- rmfset=MOS.rmf (on calibration panel)
- badpixlocation=MOS.evt (on effects panel)
- detmaptype=psf (on detector map panel)
Fig.9: The
arfgen
launch GUI interface
-
prepare the spectrum and link associated files
grppha: PHA filename: MOSsource_spectrum.fits
output filename: MOSsource_spectrum.grp
chkey BACKFILE MOSbackground_spectrum.fits
chkey RESPFILE MOS.rmf
chkey ANCRFILE MOS.arf
group min 25 ! as an example
exit
-
fit the spectrum
-
NOTE ON PATTERN SELECTION IN MOS SPECTRA:
In general the user should use PATTERN 0-12. However, PATTERN 0
events can be used to minimise the effects of pile-up in bright sources and for
sources in which the best-possible spectral resolution is crucial.
In case of MOS Timing mode observations PATTERN 0 only
should be selected for the source and PATTERN 0,1,3 for the
background spectra extracted in outer CCDs.
For details and latest recommendations, see again
XMM-SOC-CAL-TN-0018.