XMM-Newton Extended Source Analysis Software

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The Extended Source Analysis Software package (XMM-ESAS) was developed at the NASA/GSFC XMM-Newton Guest Observer Facility (GOF) in cooperation with the XMM-Newton SOC and the Background Working Group.

XMM-ESAS allows the user to model the quiescent particle background both spectrally and spatially for the EPIC MOS detectors. It will produce background spectra for user-defined regions of the detectors and background images. The output files are FITS standard and can be used in spectral fitting packages (e.g., Xspec) or with FITS image display software (e.g., fv or ds9).

XMM-ESAS is based on the software used for the background modeling described in Snowden, Collier & Kuntz (2004, ApJ, 610, 1182).

The XMM-ESAS package currently consists of both PERL scripts and stand-alone Fortran 77 programs. The PERL scripts in general call SAS tasks requiring SAS to be installed and operational. The goal is to eventually transform XMM-ESAS into a proper SAS task. While XMM-ESAS has been extensively tested, it should still be considered to be in beta-release status. So, if problems arise or if the results look odd, please contact the XMM-Newton Helpdesk at: xmmhelp@sciops.esa.int. Suggestions for improving the software or documentation are also welcome.

Version 2 release, 31 May 2007. Contains updates, improvements, etc. Note that because of the upgrades the tasks are not always backwards compatible so some scripts may break.

Note: eexpmap in SAS V7.1 does not work correctly if CCDs are excluded. This issue is being worked on, but in the meantime we suggest using SAS V7.0 when using XMM-ESAS.

There are several XMM-ESAS files which can be downloaded either from the SOC or from the GSFC GOF:

	Contents
README	Release notes
xmm-esas.tar.gz	XMM-ESAS package including PERL scripts, Fortran code, and required data files
xmm-esas.pdf	Users manual for the XMM-ESAS package
testspec.tar.gz	Script and resultant files for creating and fitting the temperature radial profile from the observation of Abell 1795
testimage.tar.gz	Script and resultant files for creating images from the observation of Abell 1795