IXMASTER - IXPE Master Catalog

Overview

Launched in late 2021, the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) is a NASA Small Explorer Mission in collaboration with the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The mission measures X-ray polarization from compact objects such as neutron stars and black holes, which serve as laboratories for exploring extreme gravitational and magnetic fields. With its imaging capabilities, IXPE will also map the magnetic-field structure of a few extended sources such as supernova remnants and pulsar wind nebulae.

This table contains a list of (a) unobserved targets that are planned for observation by IXPE in the future and (b) IXPE observations which have been processed and successfully validated by the IXPE team. The data from these observations may or may not be public and the user should check the value of the public_date parameter to determine the status of a specified data set. Only those ObsIDs which have a public_date in the past will have data publicly available. Observations with a public_date parameter value which is either blank or a date in the future have been ingested into the HEASARC archive but will remain encrypted until their public date.

Bulletin

The IXMASTER database table was last updated on 16 April 2024.

References

The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE), Weisskopf, M.C. et al.,
     <Proceedings of the SPIE, Volume 9905, id 990517 (2016)>
    =2016SPIE.9905E..17W

Provenance

This contents of this database table are generated by the IXPE Team and updated regularly with new observations. These updates are then delivered to the HEASARC and ingested into the HEASARC database in a timely fashion. Note that some parameters have been added and are populated by the HEASARC.

Parameters

ObsID
This is the unique, 8-digit identifier for each IXPE observation/sequence.

Name
The designation of the target of the IXPE observation.

RA
The Right Ascension of the IXPE pointing position, in the selected equinox. In the data provided to the HEASARC, this is given in J2000 Equatorial degrees with a supplied precision of 10^-4 degrees.

Dec
The Declination of the IXPE pointing position, in the selected equinox. In the data provided to the HEASARC, this is given in J2000 Equatorial degrees with a supplied precision of 10^-4 degrees.

LII
The Galactic Longitude corresponding to the IXPE pointing position. This parameter has been added by the HEASARC and is calculated from the J2000 pointing position, and, as such, the value has comparable precision.

BII
The Galactic Latitude corresponding to the IXPE pointing position. This parameter has been added by the HEASARC and is calculated from the J2000 pointing position, and, as such, the value has comparable precision.

Roll_Angle_Req
This is the requested position angle of the detector field of view on the sky, in degrees, and defined as the angle east of north of the direction of the +DET1Y focal plane axis. The value is supplied with a precision of 10^-4 degrees. This is the value requested in the proposal associated with the observation, if applicable. The actual value as observed may vary.

Time
The start time (UTC) of the observation. The value is supplied with a precision of 10^-3 seconds.

End_Time
The stop time (UTC) of the observation. The value is supplied with a precision of 10^-3 seconds.

FCW_1
The DU1 filter wheel status.

FCW_2
The DU2 filter wheel status.

FCW_3
The DU3 filter wheel status.

Exposure_1
The DU1 effective exposure on source, in seconds. The value is supplied with a precision of 10^-4 seconds.

Exposure_2
The DU2 effective exposure on source, in seconds. The value is supplied with a precision of 10^-4 seconds.

Exposure_3
The DU3 effective exposure on source, in seconds. The value is supplied with a precision of 10^-4 seconds.

OnTime_1
The DU1 on-source time, in seconds. The value is supplied with a precision of 10^-4 seconds.

OnTime_2
The DU2 on-source time, in seconds. The value is supplied with a precision of 10^-4 seconds.

OnTime_3
The DU3 on-source time, in seconds. The value is supplied with a precision of 10^-4 seconds.

Processing_Date
The date/time on which the data in the ObsID was processed at NASA/MSFC.

Public_Date
The date on which the data in the ObsID will become or did become publicly available. If blank, the public date has not yet been set. Typically, the basic information about an observation (observation dates, exposure times, etc.) is available in the IXMASTER table before the data has been processed and validated. The public release date then will be set and included here after processing and validation.

Software_Version
The HEASoft and IXPE data processing software versions used in the IXPE pipeline to process the data from the ObsID. E.g., 'Hea_31Aug2021_V6.29c_IXPE_07JAN2021_1.0' means that the data were processed using HEASoft version 6.29c, released on August 31, 2021, and the IXPE data processing software version 1.0, released on January 7, 2021.

Obs_Type
This parameter contains the type of observation, e.g., 'TOO' (for a Target of Opportunity) or 'PLANNED' (for a scheduled observation).

Coordinated
If the observation was coordinated with another observatory or other observatories, this parameter will record which one(s).

Issue_Flag
This is a Boolean flag (0 or 1) which indicates the observation has a known issue which may impact the analysis of the observation. It has the following two values:

     0 - no issues,
     1 - some kind of issue is present (see comments field)

Status
This field contains the status of the observation or the target accepted for IXPE observation(s).

The possible values for the status and their meanings are as follows:

      accepted    The target has been accepted and will be scheduled for a
                  NuSTAR observation.
      scheduled   The target has been scheduled for an observation.
      observed    The target has been observed with the associated ObsID, but
                  not all planned observations have been completed.
      processed   The ObsID has been transferred to the archive and is available
                  for encrypted download by the Principal Investigator of the
                  proposed observation.
      archived    The ObsID is now publicly available in the archive.

CALDB_Version
The CALDB version used in the IXPE pipeline to process the data from the ObsID. E.g., '20211118' means that the data were processed using the CALDB version released on November 18, 2021.

Comments
This field contains general information specifically related to the observation (or ObsID).

Prnb
This parameter contains the IXPE proposal number, if applicable.

Title
The title of the proposal to which the observation corresponds, if applicable.

PI_Names
The name(s) of Principal Investigator(s) associated with the observation.

Abstract
This parameter contains the proposal abstract associated with the observation, if applicable, or possibly a short description of the aim of the observation.

Subject_Category
The subject category identifies the type of object observed by IXPE and associated to this ObsID.

Category_Code
Each subject category is assigned a numerical code, and this field contains that numerical value for the specified subject category.

Priority
This parameter contains the priority of the proposal when it comes to scheduling observations.

Cycle
The AO proposal cycle (number) to which the observation belongs.

Contact Person

Questions regarding the IXMASTER database table can be addressed to the HEASARC Help Desk.

Page Author: Browse Software Development Team
Last Modified: Tuesday, 31-Oct-2023 15:43:40 EDT