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Status report 89
ROSAT Status Report #89
April 1st 1994
The ROSAT AO5 deadline was yesterday (Mar. 31, 1994). Thank you to
everyone who submitted proposals. If you did submit proposal(s),
you should have received an e-mail receipt for the electronic copy
that you submitted. If you have NOT received a receipt, please call
or send me e-mail immediately.
Thank you,
Margo Duesterhaus
Proposal Manager
duesterhaus@rosat.gsfc.nasa.gov rosat::duesterhaus
(301) 286-3569
=========================================================================
= =
= ROSAT NEWS No. 27 --- 1-Apr-1994 =
= =
=-----------------------------------------------------------------------=
= ROSAT Scientific Data Center at the =
= Max-Planck Institut fuer Extraterrestrische Physik (MPE) =
= Postfach 1603, 85740 Garching, FRG =
=-----------------------------------------------------------------------=
= e-mail addresses (Uli Zimmermann): =
= rosat_svc@mpe-garching.mpg.de (Internet) or =
= MPE::ROSAT_SVC (SPAN) =
= ROSAT Service Area read-access via anonymous ftp: =
= ftp rosat_svc.mpe-garching.mpg.de user: anonymous =
=-----------------------------------------------------------------------=
= XUV Center: 29382::GXUVDC or GXUVDC@AIT.PHYSIK.UNI-TUEBINGEN.DE =
= WFC Archive access via telnet/ftp ait.physik.uni-tuebingen.de =
= user: xuv (password: xuv_archive) =
=========================================================================
SATELLITE STATUS
================
The satellite has performed quite stable throughout the whole month.
Observation efficiency was near to 40 %.
MISSION PLANNING
================
The deadline for ROSAT AO-5 proposals was March 31, 1994.
CALIBRATION
===========
Here is an answer to some frequently occuring questions about the usage
of the different PSPC detector response matrices and effective area
tables:
The effective areas valid for detectors PSPC C and PSPC B differ.
They can be found in the EXSAS calibration area under the filenames
exsas_cal:effarea_pspcc.tbl and exsas_cal:effarea_pspcb.tbl.
If you are not sure which detector was used for your observation, check
the observation date (or spacecraft clock, descriptor :OBS_CLOCK). The
switch from PSPC C to PSPC B took place on Jan 25, 1991 (Julian date
2448282.0, spacecraft clock SCC=20530000).
The detector response for detectors PSPC C and PSPC B is regarded as
being identical. Consequently there are no separate DRM (detector response
matrix) files for the two PSPCs in the EXSAS calibration area.
The spectral response of the PSPC has changed in a non-linear way with
time. At the present status of calibration it is suggested to use -
depending on the date of observation - one of the two following DRM's:
- exsas_cal:drmpspc_ao1.bdf (identical with exsas_cal:drmpspc_06.bdf)
- exsas_cal:drmpspc.bdf (identical with exsas_cal:drmpspc_36_300_1_full.bdf)
A convenient break point between usage of the matrices is Oct 11, 1991,
(Julian date 2448541.0, spacecraft clock SCC=42910000) when a major gain
change took place. For observations prior to this date (survey, calibration
phase, AO-1 and the first weeks of AO-2) it is suggested to use
drmpspc_ao1.bdf. For observations later than Oct 11, 1991, drmpspc.bdf is
recommended.
A major effort for a better understanding of the time-dependent non-linear
gain changes of the PSPC is undertaken right now. A first round of
additional PSPC ground calibrations in the PANTER facility has been
completed in March, using the PSPC instrument model. A further set of
ground calibrations will be started soon. In addition a variety of
different in-orbit measurements from different types of sources is used
to better establish the time-dependent gain dependence, in particular
through the PSPC "end-of-life" calibrations currently obtained.
To summarize all this:
recommended recommended
date SCC PSPC effective area DRM
< Jan 25, 1991 < 20530000 C effarea_pspcc drmpspc_ao1
Jan 25, 1991 20530000 B effarea_pspcb drmpspc_ao1
- Oct 11, 1991 - 42910000
> Oct 11, 1991 > 42910000 B effarea_pspcb drmpspc
In EXSAS patches after Februar 28 the commands FIT/SPECTRUM and
BIN/DETECTOR_RESPONSE select by default the correct response matrices and
effective area tables if not specified explicitly different on the
command line. The decision is based on the descriptor OBS_CLOCK(1) (i.e.
start SCC) of the corresponding spectral file.
EXSAS/MIDAS
===========
A serious bug has been found in the EXSAS command INTAPE/USROD, which
is used to convert US ROSAT data from PROS format (i.e. from the FITS
files distributed by GSFC) into EXSAS/MIDAS format.
Only in the case of HRI photon event lists - due to an accidental change
of sign after the initial tests - the photon X sky coordinate was flipped
around the center of the field of view (so that East was to the right
side of the image, and West to the left). If not recognized, the error
could have lead to wrong coordinates for the X-ray sources in the field.
The error was present both in the JAN93 and the JAN94 versions of EXSAS.
The bug fix is located in the ROSAT service area (anonymous ftp
rosat_svc.mpe-garching.mpg.de) in the file exsas/patch/intaqp.prg, and
has also been included in the EXSAS patch tar file (in the same
directory).
In order to fix old HRI photon lists created by INTAPE/USROD, just use
the MIDAS command: COMPUTE/TABLE events :XPIX = -:XPIX
==================================================================
| Best wishes for a Happy Easter from your ROSAT team at MPE |
==================================================================