v12.5.0 Nov. 2008
· Two of the remaining unimplemented v11 commands have now been added.
· mdefine allows dynamic definition of models that can be expressed algebraicly.
· recornrm has been replaced by the recorn model. This allows the correction norm to be treated as a fit parameter, a better solution than the v11 recornrm command.
· The complete HTML help files are included in a tar file. These can be made available on a local machine if remote access is now available and selected in the Xspec.init file.
· Convolution components can now operate on multiplicative components. For example, in the model = (CM)A, the convolution component acts on only the multiplicative component. Previously this would have been treated the same as C(MA). The partcov partial covering model takes advantage of this new capability.
· There is a new simple way of estimating fluxes (and their errors) from parts of the model. Apply the cflux convolution model to the component(s) for which the flux is required.
· The following models have been added as standard
· diskir : irradiated disk
· kerrdisk : broad iron line from a disk around a Kerr BH
· nsmax : NS magnetic atmosphere
· nthcomp : thermally Comptonized continuum
· spexpcut : super-exponential cut-off
· swind1 : partially ionized absorbing material with velocity shear
· zxipcf : partial covering of partially ionized absorbing material
· cflux : calculate the flux from model component(s)
· kerrconv : broadening due to rotation around a Kerr BH
· partcov : partial covering modifier for absorption models
· simpl : Comptonization of a seed spectrum
· recorn : Vary the correction file normalization
· The lrt.tcl and simftest.tcl scripts perform the likelihood ratio and F-tests, respectively.
· The writefits.tcl script writes filenames and current fit parameters and errors to a single row of a FITS file. This script can be used as a template for saving other information.
· A response of "/*" to a "y/n" prompt will jump out of the current operation and return to the XSPEC command prompt. This is particularly useful for escaping nested fits during an error command run.
· The units have been changed for setplot wave plots. model and ufspec have a y-axis in photons/cm^2/s/Hz, emodel and eufspec in Jy (10^-23 erg/cm^2/s/Hz), eemodel and eeufspec in erg/cm^2/s.
· Fakeit can now work with multiple-extension response files. It also works correctly when multiple models are in use (this was release in patch v12.4.0r).
· The active|inactive|options can be applied to the default (unnamed) model (released in patch v12.4.0v).
· Support for GLAST GBM extensions to the standard file formats including multiple response matrix extensions in the same file (released in patch 12.4.0am).
· There are additional diagnostics available at high chatter levels from MCMC chain runs. User's custom proposal classes have access to information about acceptances and rejections.
· Initial support for multicore processors using the OpenMP parallel processing compiler option. Multiplication of the model and response is performed in parallel across the multiple spectra in a datagroup.
· All bug fixes to v12.4.0 released as patches a - ar are included in v12.5.0. In addition the following problems have been corrected.
· When a runtime error is encountered during the calculation of a parameter's error bounds (using the error command), the value is now filled in with 0.0 rather than retaining its previous value.
· Steppar will now correctly step in reverse direction if the range values were entered in high-to-low order.
· Model expression parsing has been improved for nested expressions.
· Log file output has been fixed so '#' comments are placed correctly.
· The chi-square calculation includes the corfile contribution even if there is no background file associated with the spectrum.
· There are minor plotting fixes to the confidence line in 1-D steppar/margin plots, the rescaling of the Y=0 green line in lower-panel plots, and the Y-axis label in plot delchi.
· Tclout peakrsid no longer fails for a spectrum whose model was not assigned to source 1.
· The XSFunctions library now also depends on XSModel, requiring the addition of a -lXSModel flag to the Makefile of external programs linking with the XSPEC model functions library. (See Appendix F)
· The modelIonData model data files directory has been renamed to modelData.
· Portions of some model functions have been translated from Fortran to C++ to reduce use of the udmget memory allocation function. Future versions will remove all references to udmget.