Contents

• List of Tables
• 1. Introduction
  • 1.1 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  
  
• 2. Useful Information and References
  • 2.1 MAIN WEB SITES
  • 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
  • 3.3 PI Data
    • 3.3.1 ODF Data
    • 3.3.2 Pipeline Product Data - Summary Files and Groupings
    • 3.3.3 Pipeline Product Data - Data Files
  
  
• 4. Setting Up and Running SAS
  • 4.1 Installation
  • 4.2 Calibration Data
  • 4.3 SAS Environmental Parameters and Invocation
    • 4.3.1 SAS Helpful Hints
  • 4.4 SAS Syntax and Logic
    • 4.4.1 Command Line Syntax
    • 4.4.2 Table Syntax
    • 4.4.3 Filtering Logic
  • 4.5 Final Words Before the Meat and Taters
    • 4.5.1 cifbuild
    • 4.5.2 odfingest
  
  
• 5. An EPIC Data Processing and Analysis Primer
  • 5.0.1 A Quick Look at What You Have
  • 5.1 Rerunning the Pipeline
  • 5.2 Examine and Filter the Data
    • 5.2.1 An Introduction to the SAS GUI and xmmselect
    • 5.2.2 Create and Display an Image
    • 5.2.3 Create and Display a Light Curve
    • 5.2.4 Applying Standard Filters the Data
    • 5.2.5 Applying Temporal Filters the Data
  • 5.3 Extract and Fit the Spectrum
    • 5.3.1 Extract the Source Spectrum
    • 5.3.2 Extract the Background Spectrum
    • 5.3.3 Check for Pile Up
    • 5.3.4 My Observation is Piled Up! Now What?
    • 5.3.5 Create the Photon Redistribution Matrix (RMF)
    • 5.3.6 Create the Ancillary Region File (ARF)
    • 5.3.7 Prepare the Spectrum
    • 5.3.8 Fit the Spectrum
  • 5.4 Source Detection
  • 5.5 Timing Analysis
  • 5.6 Once More, This Time with Feeling and Ftools
  • 5.7 In a Nutshell
  
  
• 6. An RGS Data Processing and Analysis Primer
  • 6.0.1 A Quick Look at What You Have
  • 6.1 Rerunning the pipeline
  • 6.2 Potentially useful tips for using the pipeline
    • 6.2.1 A Nearby Bright Optical Source
    • 6.2.2 A Nearby Bright X-ray Source
    • 6.2.3 User-defined Source Coordinates
  • 6.3 Examine and Filter the Data
    • 6.3.1 An Introduction to the SAS GUI and xmmselect
    • 6.3.2 Create and Display an Image
    • 6.3.3 Create and Display a Light Curve
    • 6.3.4 Generating the Good Time Interval (GTI) File
    • 6.3.5 Applying the GTI
    • 6.3.6 Creating the Response Matrices (RMFs)
  • 6.4 Fitting a Spectral Model
    • 6.4.1 Combining RGS1 and RGS2 Spectra
  • 6.5 Approaches to Spectral Fitting
    • 6.5.1 Spectral Rebinning
    • 6.5.2 Maximum-Likelihood Statistics
  • 6.6 Analysis of Extended Sources
    • 6.6.1 Region masks
    • 6.6.2 Fitting spectral models to extended sources
    • 6.6.3 Model limitations
  • 6.7 In A Nutshell
  
  
• 7. An OM Data Processing and Analysis Primer
  • 7.1 Pipeline Products
    • 7.1.1 Imaging Mode
  • 7.2 Rerunning the Pipeline
    • 7.2.1 SAS Initialization
    • 7.2.2 Prepare the Dataset
    • 7.2.3 Examine the Tracking History
    • 7.2.4 Detecting Bad Pixels
    • 7.2.5 Generate the Flat Field
    • 7.2.6 Correct for Fixed-Pattern Noise
    • 7.2.7 Perform Source Detection
    • 7.2.8 Convert Source Counts to Magnitudes
    • 7.2.9 Convert Source OM Positions to Sky Coordinates
    • 7.2.10 Fast Mode
    • 7.2.11 Grism Analysis
  • 7.3 In a Nutshell