The XMM SSC

The XMM Newton Survey Science Centre (SSC) was set up by ESA to perform the following main tasks:

The pipeline processing of all XMM Newton observations
The development of science analysis software for XMM Newton in collaboration with ESA's XMM Newton Science Operations Centre (SOC)
The follow-up/identification programme for the XMM Newton serendipitous X-ray sky survey

The SSC is a consortium of 8 European Institutes together with 7 Associate Scientists and a collaboration with the High Energy Astrophysics Archive Research Center (HEASARC) at the USA.

Work is being carried out by a team ~ 30+ people from the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Japan, USA. The SSC is led by the XMM Newton Survey Scientist, Dr. M.G. Watson (Leicester University).

SSC infrastructures are being set up at many of the collaborating institutions, but the backbone consists of 3 computer systems which host 3 crucial databases:

Leicester University (LU)
Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg (OAS)
Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL).

Leicester University is responsible for the pipeline processing of the XMM Newton observations and will maintain an internal database of the raw and reduced X-ray data (SSC-DB).

The OAS is responsible for cross-correlating the serendipitous source lists with an extensive list of existing catalogues (Archive Multiwavelength Database AMW-DB).

MSSL is responsible for the overall coordination of the follow-up and identification programme and for the archival of all the data from this programme (XID-DB)

The SSC pipeline processing (the `PPS') starts with the raw data provided by the XMM Newton Science Operations Centre (SOC). After pipeline processing, the PPS products are returned to SOC for distribution to the observation PI and storage for later public access in the XMM science archive. These products include source lists in the EPIC images, which after cross-correlation with existing catalogues will feed the target lists for the observing runs of the XID programme.

Last modified 10^th March 2000
Text based on AXIS proposal by X.Barcons and the SSC consortium.
Page designed by J.Verdon and maintained by www_astro@mssl.ucl.ac.uk