XMM-Newton Science Analysis System: Users' Guide

4.12.1 Example of calibrated events files creation

After a proper installation of the SAS software package, EPIC calibrated events lists maybe created and quickly inspected by means of the following recipe:

• create and move to a working directory

• point to an observation data file (ODF)

  	setenv SAS_ODF /'path to the selected ODF'/
  

• generate a calibration index file (CIF) from a repository of current calibration files (CCFs).

  	cifbuild
  

• point to the newly created ccf.cif calibration index file

  	setenv SAS_CCF ccf.cif
  

• extend the ODF summary file with data extracted from the instrument housekeeping data files and the calibration database creating a new summary file

  	odfingest outdir=$SAS_ODF odfdir=$SAS_ODF
  

• run e.g the EPIC MOS or/and pn pipeline processing

  	emproc &
  	epproc &
  

  or, alternatively, use the chain tasks

  	emchain &
  	epchain &
  

  After some time, a set of calibrated event files will have been created in the working directory including the merged event lists of all active MOS and pn CCDs, respectively.

• In order to inspect the content of these files, the Graphical User Interface (GUI) of the xmmselect task can be started:

  	xmmselect -d &
  

• to select one of these newly created MOS or pn event files as input data set, either enter its name directly in the table parameter window or click the button on the right hand side to start the file browser: in the right panel of the dataset browser you can select one of the event lists by double-clicking on it with the left mouse button, then search for the table extension called EVENTS, click on the left mouse button again to select it and finally click on ``Ok'' at the bottom right of the dataset browser panel.
• press ``Run'' in the xmmselect window. The main xmmselect window (Fig 18) appears.
• make use of the `Product selection' tasks offered via xmmselect to generate filtered event lists, images, spectra or rate curves.