NAME

hextebackest -- Estimate background for HEXTE Cluster A.

USAGE

         hextebackest infile outfile [corrfile=filename] [mkarcfil=yes]

DESCRIPTION

On July 13th, 2006, HEXTE Cluster A was moved to on-source permanently. This was necessitated by numerous stoppages and the concern that it may fail permanently in an off-source position. The HEXTE team developed a method for accurately estimating the Cluster A background using the Cluster B background and a measured correlation between Cluster A and B counts on a PHA channel-by-channel basis. This correlation was determined using A09 data when both clusters were rocking. This task estimates the background for HEXTE Cluster A PHA files created from data taken from Cluster B and a parameter file that contains two correlation coefficients for each PHA channel. The Cluster B input background has to have the full 256-channel energy resolution (HEXTE science event mode data). Both 256-channel and 64-channel (archive mode) output background files for Cluster A can be created.

PARAMETERS

infile [file name]

The name of the HEXTE Cluster B PHA background FITS file from which the Cluster A background estimate will be generated.

outfile [file name]

The name of the output HEXTE Cluster A background PHA FITS file. The use of 'STDOUT' for outfile is not allowed. If the first character of outfile is a '!', then an existing file of the same name will be overwritten. Outfile has the same 256-channel energy resolution as infile.

(corrfile = CALDB) [file name]

The default for this file is in the CALDB. This FITS file contains a list of linear correlation parameters, two for each PHA channel. These correlation parameters have been derived from comparing Cluster A and Cluster B data taken during A09.

(mkarcfil = no) [boolean]

The default for this parameter is 'no'. If this parameter is set to 'yes' then a second output file is created. The file name is the concatenation of the character string 'arc_' and outfile. The result is the estimated Cluster A background PHA file for use with HEXTE archive histogram data (64 energy channels, the HEXTE equivalent of PCA Standard II data).

EXAMPLES

1. Create a Cluster A background PHA file:

              > hextebackest input.pha output.pha

2. Create a Cluster A background PHA file and an archive format version of the corrected file:

              > hextebackest input.pha output.pha mkarcfil=yes

3. Create a Cluster A background PHA file and an archive format version of the corrected file using a non-default correlation file:

              > hextebackest in.pha out.pha corrfile=pf.fits mkarcfil=yes

NOTES:

HEXTEBACKEST does not allow the use of STDOUT.

BUGS

SEE ALSO

CATEGORY