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             |              CCC  XX   XX    OOO           |
Chandra      |             CC     XX XX    OO OO          | CXC
Electronic   |            CC       XXX    OO   OO         | Number 1
Bulletin     |             CC     XX XX    OO OO          | September
             |              CCC  XX   XX    OOO           | 2000
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Welcome to the Chandra X-ray Center's Electronic News Bulletin!

We plan to distribute bulletins roughly once per month (or as needed) to 
inform interested members of the community of new developments relevant to 
the Chandra X-ray Observatory such as Chandra status updates, NRA Cycle
information, software releases, calibration information, etc..

If you would like to unsubscribe from this alias, please let us know by filling 
out a Helpdesk ticket (cxc.harvard.edu and click on "Helpdesk").


Contents:
1. Cycle 3 NRA Schedule
2. Cycle 1/Cycle2 changeover date 
3. New CXC HelpDesk Interface: adds Search Capability
4. New features: contributed software page, chandra-users mailing list
5. CIAO 2.0 Release News
6. Chandra Fellows Symposium

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1. Cycle 3 NRA Schedule

The preliminary schedule for Chandra Cycle 3 is as follows:

NRA Release: 	   15 Dec 2000
Proposal Deadline: 15 March 2001
Peer Review Dates: 18-20 June 2001
Results announced: 2 July 2001

The dates are earlier than originally anticipated to ensure that 
Cycle 3 targets are approved, reviewed and planned before we conclude
the observations of targets allocated in Cycle 2.

2. Cycle 1/Cycle2 changeover date 

The official end of Chandra Cycle 1 is Nov 1st 2000. 

We note that some Cycle 2 observations may be made before this time
in the interest of efficient scheduling and a few Cycle 1 observations
made after this date due to scheduling constraints.

After this date, Cycle 2, peer-review approved TOO 
observations may be triggered by filling out the form found under the `TOO' 
link from the `Proposer' page on the CXC website (asc.harvard.edu).

Approved Cycle 1 TOO PIs should be aware that Nov 1st is the end of their 
window for triggering such observations. In addition, given the typical 
rate of one per month, we are unlikely to accept more than 1 fast (<21 
day) turn-around TOO during the time remaining for this cycle.


3. New CXC HelpDesk Interface: adds Search Capability

On Sept 21st, a new Helpdesk interface was installed. 
This new interface allows you to search the CXC HelpDesk archives and
store your account details so you don't have to enter your name and 
email address each time you ask a question. Regular users of helpdesk 
are advised to set up an account (and remember their username!).

A link to the Helpdesk submission form can be found at the bottom of the
CXC web page (cxc.harvard.edu), The direct link is:

http://cxc.harvard.edu/cgi-gen/up.cgi?AIMACTION=vlogin


4. New features: contributed software page, chandra-users mailing list

	The Chandra X-ray Center (CXC) is pleased to call your 
attention to two new capabilities intended to assist users analyze 
Chandra data, use the Chandra observatory and trade ideas with other 
users.

	A software exchange Web page has been established at 
http://cxc.harvard.edu/swapmeet_top.html that gives access both to 
the CIAO data analysis software produced by the CXC, and to 
specialized software written by individuals and contributed for use 
by other users.  (This exchange, or swap meet, page can also be 
reached from the Chandra science home page at http://cxc.harvard.edu. 
We encourage you to check the capabilities of both CIAO and the 
contributed software, and also to use this page to provide your own 
favorite routines or tools to other Chandra users.

	In addition, we have created a subscribable e-mail list, 
called 'chandra-users', that enables participants to trade questions, 
answers and ideas on all aspects of the Chandra observatory and data 
analysis.  Messages addressed to the list are sent to all 
subscribers, who may, in turn, reply to the list.  To subscribe, send 
e-mail to 'majordomo@head-cfa.harvard.edu', and put 'subscribe 
chandra-users' (without quotation marks) in the body of the message 
(not in the Subject portion).

	(Note that questions about Chandra may still be sent directly 
to the CXC helpdesk, which can be reached via a link at the bottom of 
the Chandra science home page (http://cxc.harvard.edu) or directly at 
http://cxc.harvard.edu/cgi-gen/up.cgi?AIMACTION=Submit.)

	We hope you find these new features useful, and we welcome 
your comments and suggestions, sent to either chandra-users or the 
Chandra helpdesk.



5. CIAO 2.0 Release News

  The Chandra X-Ray Center is pleased to announce version
2.0 of the CIAO (Chandra Interactive Analysis of Observations)
software package.  Final testing and packing are in progress
and it is expected to be distributed in Beta form for Solaris on 
or around November 1st. A full release for both Solaris and Linux
is anticipated for December 1st.

  CIAO2.0 is a major milestone for the Chandra community. Combined with
the reprocessed data now becoming available, and a complete set of 
calibration files in CALDB format, many of the early complexities of 
Chandra data analysis will be replaced with simple procedures.

Some of the major new CIAO features are:
   - Sherpa enhancements include robust optimization methods, improved error
    calculations, and new save/restore features, as well as several options 
    for analyzing grating data, e.g enhanced analysis of type 2 pha files, 
    analysis in wavelength or energy space, use of multiple backgrounds, 
    background modeling, as well as beta version of GUIDE 
    (Grating User Interactive Data Extension) and S-lang. 

  - GUIDE is designed for high resolution spectral analysis (e.g. line    
    identification). GUIDE works with the line lists and emissivities 
    created by APEC, the successor code to Raymond-Smith. [Which is 
    backwards-compatible with earlier models, e.g. MEKAL.]

  - S-lang provides a scripting language that allows users to create     
    personalized data analysis routines within Sherpa and Chips, via 
    commmon programming control features, interactive access to data
    structures, and the ability to define variables and functions.

  - The datamodel I/O library, underlying all CIAO tools, now supports 
    advanced filtering (e.g. multiple conditions, data flags)

  - Upgraded event processing tools to use the latest calibrations
    and include newly discovered instrumental effects.

  - Better response tools to help users fit spectral features and flat 
    field their observations. The number of RMF files for ACIS has
    been reduced from over 4000 to 4 (1 per temperature). [The true
    number of RMFs has not changed, but they have been packaged more
    cleverly to reduce overhead for users.]

  - More utilities to help users view and manipulate their data.

  - Source detection tools now deal with exposure variations across
    the field.

  - Enhanced online help  ("ahelp") which now includes context,  
    and cross-references; and new thread-based guides (on the WWW).

  In tandem with CIAO2.0 will be the first external release of the
Chandra Calibration Database (CALDB 2.0) and the release of the Atomic
Data Base.  These calibrations provide the most up-to-date
understanding of the current state of the various system on board the
CXO spacecraft.

  These tools and calibrations together with the latest reprocessed   
data should accelerate and expand the scientific possibilities of
Chandra datasets.
  
  CIAO2.0 will initially be distributed for Solaris and various Linux
platforms.  An port for the Alpha is in the works and is expected after 
Jan 1st 2001.

Please check the CXC home pages at http://cxc.harvard.edu and select "data
Analysis" (direct link: http://asc.harvard.edu/ciao/) for further information. 

CIAO2.0 is a collaborative effort between the CXC Science Data Systems,
the CXC Data Systems, and MIT/CXC personel.
 


6. Chandra Fellows Symposium: Oct 23rd, CfA

As one who is actively involved with Chandra, you are cordially 
invited to enjoy some of the results.   The Second  Chandra Fellows 
Symposium is being held at the Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 
on Oct. 23, 2000.  The program is enclosed below. 

    We would be happy to have you join us for the Symposium. 
(No registration fee.  Light refreshments will be served.)


		     CHANDRA FELLOWS SYMPOSIUM

			October 23, 2000

	Phillips Auditorium, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

    For program updates, check: http://cxc.harvard.edu/fellows/program.html

 8:45 -  9:00  a.m. 	Welcome

 9:00 -  9:30           Keynote Speaker: Ramesh Narayan: Chandra Observations 
                        of Quiescent X-ray Binaries 

 9:30 -  9:50	 	Ann Esin: Evidence for Truncated Thin Disk in Low
                        State of New X-Ray Nova XTE J1118+480


 9:50 - 10:10	 	Rudy Wijnands: The Neutron Star Spin Frequency in the 
                        X-ray Transient and Eclipsing LMXB MXB 1659-298
			
10:10 - 10:30           Tiziana DiMatteo:  Accretion onto the Supermassive 
                        Black Hole in A2199: Chandra Constraints

10:30 - 10:40	 	Coffee

10:40 - 11:00           Markus Boettcher: Coupled Fokker-Planck/Monte-Carlo 
                        Simulations of X-ray Spectra and Variability of 
                        Accreting Compact Objects

11:00 - 11:20           Jeremy Heyl: Neutron Star Cooling for High B Fields

11:20 - 11:40		Kristen Menou: Viscosity Mechanisms in Accretion Disks
			
11:40 - 12:00		Eliot Quataert: Ionization, Magneto-rotational and 
                        Gravitational Instabilities in AGN Disks
			
12:00 - 1:20 p.m. 	Lunch

 1:20 - 1:40            Ming Feng Gu: Experimental Studies of X-ray Line 
                        Formation In Iron L-shell Ions: Resonant Processes 
                        and Direct Excitation  

 1:40 - 2:00            Jacco Vink: Thermal vs Non-thermal X-ray Emission 
                        from Young Supernova Remnants

 2:00 - 2:20            Ed Moran: "Seyfert 2 Galaxies: Unification and the 
                        X-ray Background


 2:20 - 2:40	        Amy Barger: The Nature of the Hard X-ray Background Sources

 2:40 - 3:00            David Buote: Oxygen Absorption in Cooling Flows 

 3:00 - 3:20            Tea

 3:20 - 3:40            Jimmy Irwin: First Chandra Results From X-ray Faint 
                        Early-type Galaxies

 3:40 - 4:00            David Strickland: The Cosmological Impact of 
                        Starburst-driven Superwinds

 4:00 - 4:20            Eric Agol:  The Eddington Ratio in Seyfert Galaxies

 4:20 - 4:40            Joe Mohr: A Joint X-ray and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect 
                        Analysis of the 'Cooling Flow' in Abell 478


	Street parking in this area of Cambridge is very limited. (``Permit''
	means Cambridge resident.)  Public transportation is recommended.