Table models

A very simple way of fitting with user-defined models is available for a particular class of models. These are models that can be defined by a grid of spectra, with the elements of the grid covering the range of values of the parameters of the model. For instance, for a one-parameter model, a set of model spectra can be tabulated for different values of the parameter (P1, P2, P3, etc.) The correct model spectra for a value P then is calculated by interpolation on the grid. The generalisation to more parameters works in the obvious way. As with standard models, the spectra should be in terms of flux-per-bin and not flux-per-keV. Any set of energy bins can be used, and XSPEC will interpolate the model spectra onto the appropriate energy bins for the detectors in use. It is therefore a good idea to choose energy bins such that the spectrum is well-sampled over the range of interest. The file structure for these models is a FITS format and is described in the OGIP memo OGIP/92-009, also available by anonymous ftp.