Agenda:

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Agenda
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Apologies SS WP
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Actions from last meeting (taken from minutes) 1/4

• - 1.0 Action Items from last meetings (AR)
• - AI_EPIC_BG_WG_01_01 SS to provide by October
  2005 to SOC
• -
  Proton screening tool
• - Use
  of multiple light curves for screening
• -
  Provide list of st. candles for BG analysis
  comparison with different tools
• By end of December 2005 a SAS task version will
  be available for DT, aiming release for SAS 7.0
  (SAS task by B. Perry for DT there was a problem
  with Perl numerical recipes PGP key for upload)
  see new AI_EPIC_BG_WG_03_07 - CLOSED
• -
  list of BG candles Abell 1795 (used for ESAS
  comp. with Chandra) - CLOSED
• - AI_EPIC_BG_WG_01_04 AR to invite other BG
  experts to next meetings and to provide possibly
  scripts/tasks DROPPED (ALL TIME ACTION)
• - AI_EPIC_BG_WG_01_12 MF Once any BG or Closed
  fits files had been obtained, the user can change
  their CCF_PATH etc. setup so that a new cifbuild
  would incorporate these extra files. This enables
  the BG/Closed events files (e.g. the ones used in
  SS's task) to be used in the SAS, without them
  having to be included in the CCF files. - ONGOING
  - Interface TBD (MF RS)
• - AI_EPIC_BG_WG_02_01 MK to ask RGS if RGS BG
  light curve could help EPIC screening CLOSED
  correlation discussed in XMM-SOC-USR-TN-0014
• - AI_EPIC_BG_WG_02_03 ME to test and transfer
  WPs script of 01_11 to SOC thread CLOSED, (done
  as part of a Young Graduate Trainee project)

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Actions from last meeting (taken from minutes) 2/4
- AI_EPIC_BG_WG_03_02 On all provide AR with
additional links more papers for BG component
table - DROPPED (all-time action) -
AI_EPIC_BG_WG_03_05 on AR to test if sky-recast
tool is working correctly on specific data set
(i.e a cluster) CLOSED - AI_EPIC_BG_WG_03_07
on ME test soft proton screening s/w SAS tool
espfilt ½ CLOSED v0.8.2 is available in SAS
7.1 MOS data looks OK, pn not yet included -
AI_EPIC_BG_WG_03_08 on MF UHB update section
3.2.4 outside FoV eff. Area (up to 80 arcmin),
Update of CCF (currently not supported, calview,
15 arcmin, TBC) OPEN provide numbers from
simulations by B. Aschenbach - AI_EPIC_BG_WG_03_10
on SM provide BGWG with script on bkg
treatment in spectral analysis (after publication
of related paper) OPEN - AI_EPIC_BG_WG_03_11
on AR check HK parameters for anomalous MOS FWC
data - ONGOING - AI_EPIC_BG_WG_04_02 on SS/K.
Kuntz try to extend MOS tools such that they
also work for EPIC-pn by about June 2007
ONGOING see Section 2.2 - AI_EPIC_BG_WG_04_05
on JC/ME test if location selection tool for
blank-sky fields can be installed at ESAC
DROPPED, see section 2.3 - AI_EPIC_BG_WG_04_06
on JC/AR check if ghosting script can be made
available to all users via the BGWG script page
CLOSED - AI_EPIC_BG_WG_04_07 on AR trigger the
generation of full field-of-view FWC MOS data by
K. Kuntz (standard mode), and make them available
to ME for an update of the FWC web page and
related Newsletter announcement CLOSED
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Actions from last meeting (taken from minutes) 3/4

• AI_EPIC_BG_WG_04_08 on AR trigger the
  generation of smaller sub-sets of EPIC-pn FWC
  data (with M. Freyberg) ? update of FWC web page
  needed - OPEN
• AI_EPIC_BG_WG_04_10 on SS ask K. Kuntz to
  include a figure on the dependence of the flaring
  MOS background on the orbital position of
  XMM-Newton in the planned paper CLOSED
• AI_EPIC_BG_WG_05_00 on all send presentations
  to AR - CLOSED
• AI_EPIC_BG_WG_05_01 on ME continue testing of
  espfilt task with the goal of a first public
  release in SASv7.1 - CLOSED
• AI_EPIC_BG_WG_05_02 on ME/AR/JC prepare a web
  page with plots of count rates derived in the
  standard SSC/PPS energy bands - CLOSED
• AI_EPIC_BG_WG_05_03 on AR test combined full
  FoV MOS FWC data before public release - CLOSED
• AI_EPIC_BG_WG_05_04 on SS/ME release of a new
  ESAS (MOS only) version - CLOSED
• AI_EPIC_BG_WG_05_05 on SS try to extend
  functionality of ESAS for pn and deliver a
  progress report for the next BGWG meeting
  CLOSED (report provided, otherwise see open
  AI_EPIC_BG_WG_04_02)
• AI_EPIC_BG_WG_05_06 on AR/SS/ME formulate
  request for more FWC calibration data CLOSED,
  see Section 2.1
• AI_EPIC_BG_WG_05_07 on ME prepare web page
  Newsletter item to announce images script -
  CLOSED

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Actions from last meeting (taken from minutes) 4/4

• New Action Items resulting from this meeting
• AI_EPIC_BG_WG_06_01 On SS/KK After reception of
  more 10 ksec FWC data, re-discuss observing
  strategy is it useful to collect FWC at
  start/end of orbit or during slew observations?
• AI_EPIC_BG_WG_06_02 On AR link papers by SS/KK
  on Analysis Method/Cluster Catalogue and on the
  Particle BG in BG components table
• AI_EPIC_BG_WG_06_03 On SS/ME release of a new
  ESAS (MOS only) version updated for SAS v7.1
• AI_EPIC_BG_WG_06_04 On JC internal release of
  BGSelector and public release (with ME) after
  testing
• AI_EPIC_BG_WG_06_05 On WP ask M. Bauer about
  the possibility to convert the new BG handling
  method into a script/tool for general usage
• AI_EPIC_BG_WG_06_06 On WP ask M. Bauer to
  compare the new method with the principal method
  used by XMM-ESAS, i.e. not subtracting but
  modelling of the background SS is interested to
  help when files are available from M. Bauer.
• AI_EPIC_BG_WG_06_07 ON SM to provide new
  threshold numbers for the Fin/Fout tool to AR to
  allow him another update of that script
  (specifically to account for the MOS1 CCD6 loss).

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SS ESAS - AI_EPIC_BG_WG_04_02 It has been a
very frustrating last few months on the XMM-ESAS
front. Every time that I've been able to work on
it some else has broken. I've made no progress
on the pn as I'm still trying to get XMM-ESAS to
work well with SAS 7.1.2. The 100 ks SWCX
observation which I was able to process before
now dies when I try and create an exposure map
for the MOS1 data. It dies with eexpmap
warning (NoOffset), Extension OFFSET not found
DEALLOCATE failure ALLOCATABLE array is not
ALLOCATEd
Program
terminated by fatal error

Abort This is a show-stopper
for this observation and I have Brendan trying to
find what is happening. I've processed another
observation without the problem and eexpmap seems
to work fine for the MOS2 data in the SWCX
observation. Another area where there is
potentially a real problem is with arfgen and the
creation of the cross-arfs. I've been in touch
with Richard about this. The problem is that the
normalization of the arf changes with selected
binning size for the detector map. Not a good
thing. I've been holding off on a new release of
ESAS until this gets resolved. SS 270308 Kip
uses the closed filter data when he updates the
data files for XMM-ESAS. Ill have to do another
update soon which should show the utility of the
cal observations.
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WP AI_EPIC_BG_WG_06_05/06 ? The web pages
describing his M.Bauers background subtraction
methods are not yet done.
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Fin_over_Fout New Available Warnings put
in regarding use of the MOS1 algorithm with post
Rev-961 MOS1 CCD6 loss have requested input
from SM/AL
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• ME
• Maria is asking about the long term planning for
  the filter wheel closed observations that we have
  introduced first as NRCO and now as routineEPIC
  calibration
• There are several questions
• - for how long will these dedicated observations
  be needed?
• can they be done at the end/start of an orbit
  where there is a higher risk of radiation? I
  understand for this you first need to look into
  the recently collected data to see if there is a
  difference between observations done in
  different parts of the orbit
• - did you already find the time to look into
  these observations?
• Question to pn- is there a possibility to merge
  shorter extended full frame mode closed filter
  exposures to reach your calibration goals? The
  reason for asking is that currently the dedicated
  observations are rather long due to the very
  long instrument overhead time of this pn
  readout mode. If shorter merged observations
  are fine for you as well, this could
  significantly reduce the time needed for these
  now routine cal observations.

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MF I had not attended the relevant meeting
when the NRCO had been discussed and initiated.
So I cannot answer this for EPIC-pn(I guess MOS
had been the driver for this). For EPIC-pn the
main goal is to monitor the high-energy particle
background (intensity, spectrum, spatial) induced
in the camera. Therefore representative
measurements are desired, i.e. Conditions during
the FILTERCLOSED exposures similar to those in
guest observe observations. EPIC-pn has always
used parasitically other calibration observations
for FILTERCLOSED set-up (in various instrument
modes)for this purpose, preferentially in the
middle of an orbit. Soft proton flares do not
affect the goal of these FILTERCLOSED exposures,
however, radiation at the start/end of an orbit
may doso (e.g. change in intensity of camera
background).At the very highest levels also the
spectrum may change. One idea at the EPIC-Cal
(actually BGWG) Meeting was to add a new
extension to EPIC-pn event files with the
discarded column counter lightcurve as a particle
background monitor. This, however, had increased
the memory needed in the SAS task "epframes"
which already(sometimes) is causing trouble in
the case of very long and/or very bright
observations (and would also increae the size of
the final event file). Therefore instead a
seperate lightcurve file is being created if a
user switches on this behaviour. This is
currently tested(new task versions of "epframes"
and "epchain"), but no output in terms of event
files and background dependencies on orbital
phases have been analyzed yet (sorry). Concerning
merging eFF-Mode exposures my proposal were to
change the "long-exposure set-up" (AB Dor ?) from
FF-Mode to eFF-Mode (always),and to do these
shorter exposures always in FF-Mode instead, to
minimize the total amount of overhead. One
problem recently arose when RGS calibration
observations that were previously used for
CalClosed or Closed filter set-up, have now been
split into 5 individual (but consecutive)
observations, causing 5-times the PN overhead
(e.g. forMkn 421). Addtionally, it had been
requested to have one of these observations in an
EPIC "scientific" filter position, however, for
PN only Timing-Mode is meaningful for Mkn421 in
any non-closed filter(I guess RGS want to have
positional information as they are doing small
shifts of 30 arcsec or so between the
observations). So PN is losing a significant
amount of possible and previously used
calibration time now. Is it possible to have at
least just one long PN exposure after the one
"scientific" as requested by RGS ? (I assume that
a formally new observation requires also a new
offset map etc. if not scheduled otherwise - for
FILTERCLOSED, however, a small attitude shift
does not harm at all for EPIC-pn).
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• ME
• I am contacting you as the XMM-Newton User Group
  is preparing their next meeting (May 6-7) and
  asking again about a report of the Background WG.
• I understand from Andy that most members of the
  BGWG (except I guess Andy/Jenny/myself and two
  newcomers from ESAC - Carlos Gabriel, Ignacio de
  la Calle) will not be coming to Mallorca this
  time.
• So to kick start the discussion, I'd like to list
  some ideas/topics I could present in May on
  behalf of BGWG-
• Adding more data
• - FWC we are performing now routine cal
  observations -gt what is happening to the data
  anybody using them? Any updates for pn MOS
  files? Do we have to continue with this routine
  cal ?
• - Blank-sky files what happened in between?
  Any new files/modes added? I remember the
  ghosting script issue... and the BGSelector
• announced (at UG meeting) ?images? script was
  released
• What about ESAS for pn? update for MOS after SAS
  release happened Long term goal ESAS as a SAS
  task - is this still envisaged? espfilt (MOS
  only) made it into SAS further plans? Even if
  there might not be much progress, I would
  appreciate if Steve could provide me with input
  on the status plans- the residual Soft Proton
  flare contamination script was updated- ???
• Do you think that in time for the UG meeting we
  will have anything exciting to be added here?

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