More models for XSPEC

The following models have been publically released by their authors but are not included in the latest release. Those that are table models can simply be downloaded and used in XSPEC using the atable or mtable commands. Other models can be installed as local models as described in the appendix.

Some of these models are available through GitHub.

If you have models that you would like to make available to a wider public, please contact the xspec team (xspec12-at-athena.gsfc.nasa.gov).

Note that we do not assume any responsibility for the content found on these linked pages. The inclusion of these links does not imply endorsement or guarantee of their content or functionality. External links open in a new window.

Local models

• A model for continuum from within the ISCO of an accretion disk around a spinning black hole binaries from Mummery et al. (2024): fullkerr
  Model added on 6/21/24.
• A model for continuum fitting in the general Kerr metric from Mummery, Balbus and Ingram (2023): superkerr
  Model added on 6/21/24.
• A reflection model for the general Kerr metric from Mummery Ingram (2024): superkerrline
  Model added on 6/21/24.
• An SED model for black hole binaries from Kubota et al.: SSsed
  Model added on 2/16/24.
• A variable-Comptonization spectral-timing model for QPOs: vKompth
  Model added on 8/11/23.

• Relativistic reflection model from Dauser and Garcia which combines relconv and xillver: relxill.
  For Mac OS users attempting to build the relxill local model package (using Xspec's 'initpackage' command) with the clang++ compiler, you will first need to download and run this shell script from your heasoft-[ver]/Xspec/src directory. Note that this is the same directory from which you would normally install Xspec patch files.
  Model added 1/23/14. Updated 7/15/14. Updated (v0.3a) 10/15/15. Updated (v0.4a) 1/18/15. Updated (v1.1.0) 8/1/18. Updated (v1.2.0) 8/9/18. Updated (v1.4.0) 10/8/20. Updated (v2.0) 7/5/22. Updated (v2.1) 8/1/22. Updated (v2.2) 9/6/22.

• Spectral models for Chandra ACIS particle-induced background from Suzuki et al.: mkacispback
  Model added on 5/24/22.

• A library of synthetic spectra for fitting tidal disruption events from Wen et al.: slimdisk
  Model added on 4/7/22.

• A python script to extract spectra from SPEX in a form that can be used by xspec
  Model added 7/10/06. Updated 10/24/08. Updated 8/1/18. Updated 9/22/20.

• Collisional plasmas with non-Maxwellian distributions of electrons from Cui et al.: kappa.
  Model added on 8/6/20.

• Relativistic reflection model from Niedzwiecki et. al.: reflkerr.
  Model added 4/18/19.

• Model for high-resolution X-ray absorption from material in ionization equilibrium from Gatuzz and Churazov:ioneq.
  Model added 11/9/17.

• Propagating fluctuations in the mass accretion rate of a precessing flow as a power spectral model for black hole binaries: propfluc
  This is not a model for energy spectra but for power spectrum from timing data. Model added 8/2/11. New much faster version with more features 9/16/14. Updated 06/12/2019.

• Line profiles from hot star winds; absorption of X-rays from hot star winds: windprof, hwind, hewind, windtabs.
  Model added 1/30/13. Updated on 8/4/15. Installation instructions updated 8/28/15.

• Photoionization models from Ali Kinkhabwala produced as part of a PhD thesis at Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory : photoion, phai, phxi, miabs, siabs, xiabs, neutral, vneutral, addext, mulext, tauext.
  Model added 4/7/06. Updated 11/7/06 to include some input data files that were accidentally left out of the tar file. Updated 03/23/2018.

• Absorption due to gas in coronal equilibrium : hotabs.
  Model added 12/2/05. Updated on 02/29/08. Updated on 08/25/08.

• XSTAR warm absorber model : warmabs.
  Model added 07/27/05. Updated on 02/29/08. Updated on 08/25/08.

• Beckwith and Done's line profiles from a Keplerian disk around a black hole : kdline0, kdconv0, kdline1, kdconv1.
  Model added 05/12/05.

Table models

An Xspec Table Model Generator is available from MIT to assist in creating your own table models in Python. It includes functionality to include polarization data.

• Models for hot white dwarf in LTE and hydrostatic approximations for super-soft X-ray sources (Suleimanov et al. 2024)
  Models added 3/21/24.

• Model of Wada's radiative fountain (Buchner et al. 2021)
  Model added 1/23/23.

• Warped disk AGN obscurer model (Buchner et al. 2021)
  Model added 1/23/23.

• Cold reflection off a single sphere with different density profiles (Buchner et al. 2019.)
  Model added 1/23/23.

• The unified X-ray clumpy torus model from Buchner et al. (UXCLUMPY)
  Model added 1/19/23.

• A model of the X-ray spectrum of AGNs that combines ionized reflection and a warm corona (reXcor from Xiang, Ballantyne et al.).
  Model added 6/13/22.

• Emission from a clumpy torus illuminated by a central active galactic nucleus (Ctorus).
  Model added 5/20/16.

• Reprocessing of X-rays in a torus-shaped region according to Ikeda et al. (e-torus).
  Model added 5/6/16. Updated on 11/28/16.

• Emission from the accretion column of a magnetized white dwarf in intermediate polars.
  Model added 4/21/16.

• Reflection of a power-law from an illuminated accretion disk calculated using the XILLVER program.
  Updated with direct link to XILLVER web page 3/18/14, 9/26/23. Model added 3/28/13.

• Reflection of a power-law (with a variable high-energy cutoff) from a constant density ionized accretion disk.
  Model added 2/14/12.

• X-ray obscuration and reflection by a toroidal reprocessor, valid in the Compton-thick regime: MYTorus.
  Model added 7/11/10.

• Reflection of a blackbody from a constant density ionized accretion disk.
  Model added 7/8/10.

• Resonant cyclotron scattering in a neutron star magnetosphere
  Model added 4/25/08.

• Spectrum from "slim disk" accretion based on calculations by Kawaguchi
  Model added 10/2/06.

• Spectrum of a relativistic accretion disk around a spinning black hole.
  Model added 2/9/06.

• Shimura and Takahara accretion disk model
  Model added 02/09/05.

• Reflionx - reflection by a constant density illuminated atmosphere
  Model updated on 10/05/09 to replace reflion with reflionx.

• Neutron star atmosphere models from Gaensicke, Braje & Romani
  New models added 4/15/02 (updated 6/7/02).

• Constant density ionised disc models
  New models added 7/25/01 (updated 9/16/04).

Older local models now included as standard in the current release

• AtomDB electron-electron bremsstrahlung model: eebrems.
  Model added on 8/6/20. Included in 12.14.

• Simple multiplicative models for spectropolarimetry.
  Models added on 7/22/21. Updated on 12/13/21. Included in 12.12.1.

• Power-law distribution of ionised absorber: zxipab
  Model added 04/27/2021. Included in 12.12.

• Two-phase Comptonization model of soft thermal seed photons for GRB prompt emission from Farinelli et al.: grbjet.
  Model added 2/18/21. Included in 12.12.

• AGN super-Eddington accretion model: agnslim
  Model added 10/18/19. Included in 12.11.0.

• Thermally comptonized continuum: thcomp
  Model added 10/18/19. Included in 12.11.0.

• kerrbb for AGN spectra: zkerrbb
  Model added 10/18/19. Included in 12.11.0.

• Model from Corrales et al. for dust scattering and extinction.: ismdust.
  Model added 12/11/18. Included in 12.11.0.

• Becker and Wolff self-consistent cyclotron line model:bwcycl.
  Model added 6/16/16.Included in 12.11.0.

• Cluster mass models from Nulsen et al.: clmass, nfwmass, monomass
  Model added 9/3/11. Updated 1/31/12. Updated 12/18/18. Updated 03/23/2018. Included in 12.11.0.

• KY models from Dovciak et al. for accretion disk spectra in the strong gravity regime : kyrline, kyconv.
  Model added 07/18/05. Updated on 11/10/11. Updated 06/15/2018. Included in 12.10.1.

• AGN SED model from Kubota and Done: agnsed
  Model added 8/9/18. Included in 12.10.1

• Leptonic relativistic jet model from Gardner and Done: jet.
  Model added 10/12/17. Included in 12.10.0

• Strangeon star atmosphere model from Wang et al.: ssa.
  Model added 5/22/17. Included in 12.10.0

• Two-phase Comptonization model of soft thermal seed photons for GRB prompt emission: grbcomp.
  Model added 9/4/15. Updated 3/10/17 to remove dependence on gsl. Included in 12.10.0

• a high resolution version of the tbabs ISM absorption model: TBnew.
  Model added 9/28/10. New version available 4/21/16. Included in 12.9.1

• A model from Suleimanov et al. for the emitted spectra from a nonmagnetic carbon atmosphere of a neutron star: carbatm.
  Model added 09/09/13. Updated table data 11/16/16. Included in 12.9.1

• A model from Suleimanov et al. for the emitted spectra from a nonmagnetic hydrogen atmosphere of a neutron star: hatm
  Model added 11/16/16. Updated table data 11/16/16. Included in 12.9.1

• A model from Randall Smith for scattering out of the beam due to dust grains.: xscat.
  Model added 10/30/15. Included in 12.9.1

• A convolution model from Chris Done for angle-dependent reflection from an ionized disk combining the XILLVER table model and the Magdziarz & Zdziarski Compton reflection code.: xilconv.
  Model added 10/30/15. Included in 12.9.1

• A relativistic model for the X-ray continuum of stationary slim accretion disks around stellar mass black holes: slimbh.
  Model added 3/12/15. Included in 12.9.1

• A high resolution ISM absorption model with variable columns for individual ions: ismabs.
  Model added 8/7/14. Updated to v1.1 on 12/24/14. Updated on 1/27/15. Updated on 7/2/15. Included in 12.9.1

• Spectra for galaxy clusters using abundances based on models for SN yields: snapec.
  Model added 1/15/15. Included in 12.9.1

• A convolution model from Chris Done for angle-dependent reflection from an ionized disk combining the reflionx table model and the Magdziarz & Zdziarski Compton reflection code.: rfxconv.
  Model added 3/12/12. Included in 12.9.1

• Neutron star magnetic atmosphere model from Wynn Ho and collaborators: nsmaxg.
  Model added 09/18/13. Updated on 4/3/14. Updated on 9/20/16. Included in 12.8.2

• Neutron star non-magnetic atmosphere model from Wynn Ho and collaborators: nsx.
  Model added 11/21/13. Updated on 4/3/14. Updated on 9/18/20. Included in 12.8.2

• A model to estimate photon fluxes and errors : cpflux.
  Model added 5/8/14. Included in 12.8.1

• Thermal and bulk Comptonization for cylindrical accretion onto the polar cap of a magnetized neutron star: compmag.
  Model added 10/25/12. Included in 12.8.0

• Thermal and bulk Comptonization of a seed blackbody-like spectrum: comptb.
  Model added 11/4/08. Updated 11/6/12: this version no longer requires GSL. Included in 12.8.0

• Colour temperature corrected disc and energetically coupled Comptonisation model for AGN: optxagnf, optxagn.
  Model added 7/28/11. Updated 8/5/11. Included in 12.7.1.

• Log-parabolic power-law models used for blazars: logpar, eplogpar
  Model added 7/28/11. Included in 12.7.1.

• Compton neutral reflection with self-consistent Fe and Ni lines: pexmon.
  Model added 5/31/11. Bug fixed 2/23/12. Included in 12.7.1.

• a non-physical piecewise-linear model for low count background spectra: cplinear.
  Model added 7/27/10. Included in v12.7.0.

• UV/Optical attenuation by the intergalactic medium: zigm.
  Model added 4/1/10. Included in v12.7.0.

• Paolo Coppi's hybrid (thermal/non-thermal) hot plasma emission model : eqpair.
  Link added 3/3/03. Updated on 2/23/10. Updated on 5/21/10. Updated on 10/15/10. Included in v12.7.0.

• Self-irradiated funnel from Abolmasov et al. (2009): sirf.
  Model added 5/26/09. Included in v12.6.0.

• Comptonization of a seed spectrum : simpl.
  Model added 10/8/08. Included in v12.5.0.

• Super-exponential cutoff absorption model : spexpcut.
  Model added 9/4/08. Included in v12.5.0.

• Irradiation of the inner and outer disc : diskir.
  Model added 8/28/08. Included in v12.5.0.

• A model to estimate fluxes and errors : cflux.
  Model added 8/21/08. Included in v12.5.0.

• Neutron star magnetic atmosphere model : nsmax.
  Model added 2/9/08. Updated on 4/11/08 to include four additional magnetic field strengths. Updated on 9/29/08 to add spectra for C and O. Included in v12.5.0.

• Partial covering of partially ionised absorbing material : zxipcf.
  Model added 1/11/08. Included in v12.5.0.

• Partially ionised absorbing material with large velocity shear : swind1.
  Model added 10/30/06. Updated 7/19/07 to modify the limits on the column parameter. Included in v12.5.0.

• Model by Brenneman and Reynolds for a broad iron line from an accretion disk around a spinning black hole : kerrdisk, kerrconv.
  Model added 10/5/06. Included in v12.5.0.

• Thermally comptonized continuum model from Zycki et al. 1999 : nthcomp.
  Model added 4/25/06. Included in v12.5.0.

• Multi-temperature disk blackbody with power-law dependence of temperature on radius : diskpbb.
  Model added 2/14/06. Included in v12.3.0. Updated on 10/26/06 to fix a small error in the normalization.

• Rybicki-Narayan model for a NS H atmosphere including electron conduction and self-irradiation : nsatmos.
  Model added 2/13/06. Included in v12.3.0.

• Dust extinction models for the UV/opt/IR : zdust, zsmdust.
  Model added 09/21/05. Included in v12.2.1.

• NS atmosphere spectra from Zavlin & Pavlov for non-magnetic hydrogen atmospheres with surface gravitational acceleration between 1e13 and 1e15 cm/s^2 : nsagrav.
  Model added 10/07/05. Included in v12.2.1.

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