National Aeronautics and Space Administration

HEACIT Working Group

High Energy Astrophysics Codes, Interface, and Tools Working Group

Updated Feb. 16, 2024

HEACIT is a community-run organization independent of NASA but for which HEASARC provides web hosting for the convenience of the community.

The HEACIT collaboration is a working group that seeks to identify how the landscape of astrophysical software enables or can improve the impact of high energy astrophysical data. This includes maximizing the return of current and future observations, as well as increasing their usability and interoperability with datasets at other wavelengths.

HEACIT is not technically associated with any particular software package, but HEACIT members include developers of high energy software packages such as XSPEC, SPEX, Sherpa, and ISIS. The goal of the working group is to connect developers, align on standard practices and collaborate on future development, while allowing for and preserving the diversity of available high energy tools and workflows.

Join the discussion in our area of the Openastronomy.org forums

See the HEACIT Charter for details regarding HEACIT goals, organizational structure, tasks, and practices.

The current HEACIT Chair is Jelle de Plaa. The HEACIT Steering Committee includes the HEACIT Chair, Randall Smith, Tess Jaffe, and Michael Wise.

The discussion forum linked above is open to anyone. Membership in the HEACIT itself is an additional step to become active in individual working groups with specific deliverables. Nominations can be sent directly to the HEACIT Chair, who will provide the nominee with instructions for applying for HEACIT Membership. Self-nominations, by direct response to the application form linked below, are welcome and enocouraged. Applications reponses are received by the Chair, who will then review it with the Steering Committee.

The HEACIT Membership application form includes the following elements:

• A statement that the applicant agrees to abide by the HEACIT Charter
• A short description of the applicant's scientific background, research interest and expertise, and expected/planned contribution to HEACIT

Jelle de Plaa may be contacted by emailing j dot de dot plaa at sron dot nl