Chandra Spectral Atlas

(X-Atlas)

X-Atlas is a database of the X-ray spectra of over 250 observations made with the High Resolution Transmission Grating (HETG) on the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Originally intended as an atlas of the approximately 25 high-mass stars observed with HETG, X-Atlas has expanded to include not only low-mass stars but all point sources currently publicly available from the Chandra Data Archive, including novae, X-ray binaries, and active galactic nuclei. The atlas is intended to present an array of high-resolution spectral morphologies and line identifications for the rapid characterization and comparison of X-ray spectra. In addition, each high-resolution dataset has been convolved with the response of the ACIS detectors to match the low resolution of the ACIS image data, potentially allowing for further understanding and classification of sources observed by ACIS without the benefit of the gratings. For each target, the predicted low-resolution ACIS spectra are used to calculate hardness ratios and quantiles and to perform two-temperature spectral fits to extract temperatures, abundances, N_H values, and fluxes. The atlas is accessible through this website, which offers interactive searching and plotting capabilities. The user can view the original HETG or predicted low-resolution observation with line identifications provided. Various spectral montages are offered as well.