Contents

• List of Tables
• 1. Introduction
  • 1.1 Acknowledgements
  
  
• 2. Useful Information and References
  • 2.1 The Main Websites
  • 2.2 XMM-Newton Help Desks
  • 2.3 Mission Planning and Spacecraft Status
  • 2.4 Public Data Archives
  • 2.5 Calibration Data
  • 2.6 Software
  • 2.7 Analysis, Documentation, and Helpful Hints
  
  
• 3. Data
  • 3.1 Useful Documentation
  • 3.2 The Data
    • 3.2.1 PI Data
    • 3.2.2 ODF Data
    • 3.2.3 Pipeline Product Data - Summary Files and Groupings
    • 3.2.4 Pipeline Product Data - Data Files
  
  
• 4. A Little Background on X-ray Astronomy and XMM-Newton Data
  • 4.1 Events and Event Patterns
  • 4.2 Soft Proton Contamination
  • 4.3 The General Approach
  
  
• 5. Setting Up and Running SAS
  • 5.1 Installation
  • 5.2 Calibration Data
  • 5.3 SAS Environmental Parameters and Invocation
    • 5.3.1 SAS Helpful Hints
  • 5.4 SAS Syntax and Logic
    • 5.4.1 Command Line Syntax
    • 5.4.2 Table Syntax
    • 5.4.3 Filtering Logic
  
  
• 6. Preparing the Data for Processing
  • 6.1 cifbuild
  • 6.2 odfingest
  • 6.3 Welcome to the SAS GUI
  
  
• 7. EPIC Data Processing (Imaging Mode, Command Line and GUI)
  • 7.1 Rerun the Pipeline
  • 7.2 Applying Standard Filters the Data
  • 7.3 Create and Display a Light Curve
  • 7.4 Applying Time Filters the Data
  • 7.5 Source Detection with edetect_chain
  • 7.6 How to Make an Exposure Map
  • 7.7 Extract the Source and Background Spectra
  • 7.8 Check for Pile Up
  • 7.9 What To Do If Your Data Are Piled Up
  • 7.10 Determine the Spectrum Extraction Areas
  • 7.11 Create the Photon Redistribution Matrix Files (RMFs) and Ancillary Files (ARFs)
  • 7.12 Scripts
  
  
• 8. EPIC-PN Data Processing (Timing or Burst Mode, Command Line and GUI)
  • 8.1 Rerun the Pipeline
  • 8.2 Applying Standard Filters to the Data
  • 8.3 Create and Display a Light Curve
  • 8.4 Applying Time Filters the Data
  • 8.5 Extract the Source and Background Spectra
  • 8.6 Check for Pile Up
  • 8.7 Determine the Spectrum Extraction Areas
  • 8.8 Create the Photon Redistribution Matrix (RMF) and Ancillary File (ARF)
  • 8.9 Scripts
  
  
• 9. EPIC-MOS Data Processing (Timing Mode, Command Line)
  • 9.1 Rerun the Pipeline
  • 9.2 Applying Standard Filters to the Data
  • 9.3 Create and Display a Light Curve
  • 9.4 Extract the Source and Background Spectra
  • 9.5 Determine the Spectrum Extraction Areas
  • 9.6 Create the Photon Redistribution Matrix (RMF) and Ancillary File (ARF)
  • 9.7 Scripts
  
  
• 10. RGS Data Processing (Command Line and GUI)
  • 10.1 Rerun the Pipeline
    • 10.1.1 Things to Check in your RGS Data
  • 10.2 Create and Display a Light Curve
  • 10.3 Generating the Secondary Good Time Interval (GTI) File and Applying It
  • 10.4 Check for Pile Up
  • 10.5 Creating the Redistribution Matrices (RMFs)
  • 10.6 Combining Spectra
  • 10.7 Scripts
  
  
• 11. OM Data Processing (Command Line and GUI)
  • 11.1 OM Artifacts and General Information
  • 11.2 Imaging Mode
    • 11.2.1 Rerunning the Pipeline
    • 11.2.2 Verifying the Output
    • 11.2.3 Making a PHA File
  • 11.3 Fast Mode
    • 11.3.1 Rerunning the Pipeline
    • 11.3.2 Verifying the Output
  • 11.4 Grism Analysis
    • 11.4.1 Rerunning the Pipeline
    • 11.4.2 Verifying the Output
    • 11.4.3 Making a PHA File
  
  
• 12. Introduction to Spectral Fitting
  • 12.1 Fitting an EPIC Spectrum in Xspec
  • 12.2 Fitting an RGS Spectrum in Sherpa
  • 12.3 Fitting a Model
  
  
• 13. Fitting EPIC Timing Data with Xronos
  • 13.1 Making a Power Spectrum
  • 13.2 Finding the Period of a Source
  • 13.3 Making a Folded Light Curve