Calibration files

The UK XMM Guest Observer Support Facility maintains copies of the most recent calibration files to be distributed by the XMM SOC, which we update at each new release. These calibration files are intended for use in XSPEC in both the realistic modelling of expected XMM data, and in the analysis of the output from the QuickSim and SciSim XMM simulators. Obviously these can provide excellent handles on the feasibility of proposed XMM observations.

Two main types of files are distributed by the SOC; response (*rmf*) files and ancillary response (*arf*) files. Each EPIC camera (EPIC-pn, EPIC-MOS) has a single response file plus ancillary response files for each X-ray filter (thin, medium & thick); RGS files (response and ancillary response) have been released for both the first and second order RGS spectra (01 & 02).

Details of the contents of the latest release (3/3/99) of EPIC calibration files are contained in the ascii file EPIC_README (which requires the previous (Jan '99) release notes in the ascii file Response_files_notes for reference). Note that these new files are compatible with the output from both SciSim and Quicksim.

For convenience we have created tar files containing the unix-compressed calibration files for each type of X-ray instrument; the EPIC-pn (epn.tar), EPIC-MOS (emos.tar) and RGS (rgs.tar).

The March '99 EPIC release for the first time includes "typical" background files for use in XSPEC; these have also been tar'ed up and are available for the EPIC-pn (epn_bg.tar) and the EPIC-MOS (emos_bg.tar). Their contents are explained in the ascii file BACKGROUND_README. Note that "PR#90" refers to an ESA XMM helpdesk question number.