mxpipeline is an end-to-end processing tool to take raw MAXI data and generate images, lightcurves, spectra, response files, and event files. It requires that MAXI event and auxiliary files have been downloaded, the FTOOLS environment defined, and that CALDB with MAXI files is available. Data may be processed from GSC and/or SSC instruments, and GSC may be from one or the other of GSC_LOW or GSC_MED.
The tool runs a series of MAXI-specific and general FTOOLS to select raw event tiles within a radius of the given source position, calculate good time intervals, generate standard products, and perform all processing needed to make those products. Lightcurves are generated with scan-resolution (one value per ISS orbit) and bin-resolution time intervals, based on the setting 'lcbin'.
Although there are a very large number of possible input parameters, most have default settings appropriate for common scenarios. The configurations of most interest are likely:
Most other customized settings (selecting specific voltages, using local files in the place of reference data or the MAXI calibration database, etc.) are useful for only very specific analysis goals. Alternatives to CALDB should be used with caution.
# GSC # conversion 50 eV/ch # min_ch max_ch min_ene max_ene 40 120 2.0 6.0 120 400 6.0 20.0 # SSC # conversion 3.65 eV/ch # min_ch max_ch min_ene max_ene 192 1918 0.7 7.0Lines that begin with # indicate comments, but the lines "# GSC" and "# SSC" are required. The energy range settings are used to make images and lightcurves: spectra will reflect the full range supported by the MAXI instrument independent of these settings.
Create products for dates 2010-01-04 to 2010-01-07 (inclusive) using using GSC_LOW data with a source region defined by a 2.2 degree radius circle around the Crab, and obtain background measurements using an annulus around the source with an outer radius of 3.0 degrees and inner radius of 2.3 degrees. Make binned lightcurves with 0.25 day bin size. Overwrite any pre-existing files if found. Include the settings used to make the files in the HISTORY keywords of these product files. The tool will generate a log file named 'mxpipeline.log', clobbering any prior log file with that name. Generates event, spectra, image, and lightcurves, plus a number of additional intermediate products: retain all these files and place them in the directory "products" (default 'datapath').
mxpipeline ra=83.633083 dec=22.0145 tstart=2010-01-04 tstop=2010-01-07 object="Crab" detector=gsc_low src_radius=2.2 \ bkg_outer_radius=3.0 bkg_inner_radius=2.3 lcbin=0.25 clobber=yes cleanup=no history=yes
Create images, lightcurve, spectra and event files for Cyg X-3 for all days in July 2021. Define the source region to be a 1.6 degree radius circle around the source, and generate simulated background event files for the GSC medium download rate data. Use a local customized energy band definition to get three bands defined for 2-6, 6-12, and 12-20 keV (respectively referred to here as soft, medium, and hard). When making lightcurves, make one day long time bins. Filter out any very low effective area scans when making spectra and lightcurves (However, all data for all available cameras and voltages will be included in the image products.). All file names will have the prefix 'cygx3', while the OBJECT keyword in products to be 'Cyg X-3'. The X and Y columns in the event files and image array in the images will use the same settings as those found in the source raw event tiles (255 x 255 with a pixel size of 0.1 deg/pixel).
mxpipeline ra=308.107417 dec=40.957750 tstart=2021-07-01 tstop=2021-07-31 eband_fname=cygx3_ebands.txt \ object="Cyg X-3" detector=gsc_med search_radius=8 src_radius=1.6 backmodel=yes nx=-99 pixsize=-99 \ lcbin=1.0 chatter=3 debug=yes clobber=yes cleanup=no vlfilt=yesThe energy band file cygx3_ebands.txt would read as:
# GSC # conversion 50 eV/ch # min_ch max_ch min_ene max_ene 40 120 2.0 6.0 120 240 6.0 12.0 240 400 12.0 20.0
The lightcurve file generated, cygx3_gsc_bin.lc, contains six extensions: one for each of the three energy bands, plus one for each of (in order) the ratios hard/soft, hard/medium, and medium/soft. There will be a single image file 'cygx3_gsc.img' with a primary image array and two image extensions which contain, respectively, the soft, medium, and hard energy band images.
In this particular example, events are found in the MAXI event tiles from GSC Camera 1 & 6, but are then excluded from consideration because the simulated background generator is not enabled for these cameras given their voltages states during this time interval. The typical observer will have no a priori knowledge of camera availability or voltage settings: the code automatically handles these conditions and provides warnings when cameras need to be excluded for unsupported voltage conditions.