Cycle 16 PIMMS Effective Area Public Information
Released as of 12 DEC 2013
The Chandra effective areas are built for sixteen configurations implemented in the PIMMS EA viewer and count rate calculator facility. Four of the configurations are for the default aim-point positions for each of the four detector arrays aboard Chandra, specifically the ACIS-I, ACIS-S, HRC-I and HRC-S routines. These aimpoint positions drift gradually with time, and are updated annually, as they have been for Cycle 16. See the Table below, and the Proposers Observatory Guide (POG) Table 6.4.
The other twelve configurations involve one or the other of the transmission gratings. For the ACIS-S configurations, however, the default SIM_Z positions do not correspond to the above aim point settings, but instead are offset to minimize the ACIS CTI effect, as given in the POG Table 6.5. To accommodate these offsets, model observations have been selected so that the zeroth order ARFs, as well as the first order GARFs will correspond to the appropriate positions on the ACIS-S array. The same is true for the LETG/HRC-S configuration, where the default zeroth order position does not necessarily coincide with the default imaging aim point.
PIMMS effective area (EA) files are built using model observations (OBSIDs) with standard/default detector and SIM_Z configurations with the CIAO 4.6 routines mkarf for imaging aimpoint cases and mkgarf for gratings configurations, using the most current CALDB input files (CALDB 4.5.9). The following table gives the input CALDB file information used by mkarf or mkgarf to generate the respective effective area files (as ARFs) for the CY15 (N0015) and CY16 (N0016) review cycles. Plots of the PIMMS effective areas may be viewed at the PIMMS Effective Area Data page. You may also use the automated Chandra Effective Area Viewer.
PIMMS Input Data and Procedure Changes for Cycle 16:
CalDB Input File Uprades (since CY15):
-
The ACIS CONTAM file version N0008, which provides a better estimate of the contamination since mid-2009. At that point the contamination layer began a more rapid increase in optical depth with time. The model for 2009-future is linearly increasing rapidly, which results in considerably more absorption predicted for mid-2015 than the previous CONTAM version.
Parameter Input Changes (versus CY15 inputs):
-
Imaging aimpoints: The slow optical axis drift (with respect to the Science Instrument Module (SIM)) has continued with the progress of the mission. Hence the default position for an imaging observation strikes each detector in a slightly different place. (See the changes in the CHIPX, CHIPY positions in Table 1 below.) We include default pointing Y- and Z-offsets for ACIS-I and ACIS-S, to optimize the local EA calculation for where your source is likely to appear (unless a proposer specifies a different pointing offset). The change in position presents a slightly different QE and mirror vignetting in the CIAO modeling that is done to calculate PIMMS EA's.
-
ACIS CONTAM time-delay parameter: The CIAO ARF- and GARF-generating routines employ a time-delay option in the "detsubsys" parameter specification, wherein a TT date value in seconds may be entered to set the date for the time-dependent CONTAM calculations. For Cycle 16 the value is 548035267.184, which corresponds to UTC date 15 May 2015. For Cycle 15 the value was 516499267.184, corresponding to 15 May 2014. This affects all and only ACIS configurations. For ACIS-S aimpoint position EAs and grating zeroth order EAs, the change is at most -6% at the Carbon Edge, and significantly less elsewhere.
| Configuration | (CHIPX, CHIPY) | ObsID Used | HRMA | QE | QEU | ACIS FI DEAD AREA | ACIS CONTAM | CONTAM TIME DELAY | ACIS OSIP | GREFF | CALDB Filenames |
| ACIS-I |
(972, 964) (968, 972) |
9768 | hrmaD1996-12-20axeffaN0008.fits | acisD1997-04-17qeN0006.fits | acisD2010-02-01qeuN0007.fits | acisD1999-09-16dead_areaN0001.fits | acisD1999-08-13contamN0007.fits acisD1999-08-13contamN0008.fits |
516499267.184 548035267.184 |
N/A | N/A |
acisiD2012-11-26pimmsN0015.fits
acisiD2013-11-20pimmsN0016.fits |
| ACIS-S |
(206, 521) (206, 517) |
9300 | hrmaD1996-12-20axeffaN0008.fits | acisD1997-04-17qeN0006.fits | acisD2010-02-01qeuN0007.fits | acisD1999-09-16dead_areaN0001.fits | acisD1999-08-13contamN0007.fits acisD1999-08-13contamN0008.fits |
516499267.184 548035267.184 |
N/A | N/A |
acissD2012-11-26pimmsN0015.fits
acissD2013-11-20pimmsN0016.fits |
| HRC-I |
(7615, 7862) (7603, 7946) |
8531 | hrmaD1996-12-20axeffaN0008.fits | hrciD1999-07-22qeN0008.fits | hrciD1999-07-22qeuN0002.fits | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
hrciD2012-11-26pimmsN0015.fits
hrciD2013-11-20pimmsN0016.fits |
| HRC-S |
(2117, 8955) (2042, 9028) |
9630 | hrmaD1996-12-20axeffaN0008.fits | hrcsD2012-03-18qeN0012.fits | hrcsD2013-01-01qeuN0006.fits | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
hrcsD2012-11-26pimmsN0015.fits
hrcsD2013-11-20pimmsN0016.fits |
| HETG0/ACIS-I |
(967, 963) (972, 964) |
9768 | hrmaD1996-12-20axeffaN0008.fits | acisD1997-04-17qeN0006.fits | acisD2010-02-01qeuN0007.fits | acisD1999-09-16dead_areaN0001.fits | acisD1999-08-13contamN0007.fits acisD1999-08-13contamN0008.fits |
516499267.184 548035267.184 |
N/A | hetgD1996-11-01greffpr001N0007.fits |
acisihetg0D2012-11-26pimmsN0015.fits
acisihetg0D2013-11-20pimmsN0016.fits |
| HETG0/ACIS-S |
(212, 369) (211, 369) |
7280 | hrmaD1996-12-20axeffaN0008.fits | acisD1997-04-17qeN0006.fits | acisD2010-02-01qeuN0007.fits | acisD1999-09-16dead_areaN0001.fits | acisD1999-08-13contamN0007.fits acisD1999-08-13contamN0008.fits |
516499267.184 548035267.184 |
N/A | hetgD1996-11-01greffpr001N0007.fits |
acisshetg0D2012-11-27pimmsN0015.fits
acisshetg0D2013-11-20pimmsN0016.fits |
| HEG1/ACIS-S |
(212, 369) (211, 369) |
7280 | hrmaD1996-12-20axeffaN0008.fits | acisD1997-04-17qeN0006.fits | acisD2010-02-01qeuN0007.fits | acisD1999-09-16dead_areaN0001.fits | acisD1999-08-13contamN0007.fits acisD1999-08-13contamN0008.fits |
516499267.184 548035267.184 |
acisD2000-01-29osip_ctiN0006.fits | hetgD1996-11-01greffpr001N0007.fits |
acissheg1D2012-11-27pimmsN0015.fits
acissheg1D2013-11-20pimmsN0016.fits |
| HEGMEG1/ACIS-S |
(212, 369) (211, 369) |
7280 | hrmaD1996-12-20axeffaN0008.fits | acisD1997-04-17qeN0006.fits | acisD2010-02-01qeuN0007.fits | acisD1999-09-16dead_areaN0001.fits | acisD1999-08-13contamN0007.fits acisD1999-08-13contamN0008.fits |
516499267.184 548035267.184 |
acisD2000-01-29osip_ctiN0006.fits | hetgD1996-11-01greffpr001N0007.fits |
acisshegmeg1D2012-11-27pimmsN0015.fits
acisshegmeg1D2013-11-20pimmsN0016.fits |
| MEG1/ACIS-S |
(212, 369) (211, 369) |
7280 | hrmaD1996-12-20axeffaN0008.fits | acisD1997-04-17qeN0006.fits | acisD2010-02-01qeuN0007.fits | acisD1999-09-16dead_areaN0001.fits | acisD1999-08-13contamN0007.fits acisD1999-08-13contamN0008.fits |
516499267.184 548035267.184 |
acisD2000-01-29osip_ctiN0006.fits | hetgD1996-11-01greffpr001N0007.fits |
acissmeg1D2012-11-27pimmsN0015.fits
acissmeg1D2013-11-20pimmsN0016.fits |
| LETG0/ACIS-I |
(974, 969) (968, 972) |
9768 | hrmaD1996-12-20axeffaN0008.fits | acisD1997-04-17qeN0006.fits | acisD2010-02-01qeuN0007.fits | acisD1999-09-16dead_areaN0001.fits | acisD1999-08-13contamN0007.fits acisD1999-08-13contamN0008.fits |
516499267.184 548035267.184 |
acisD2000-01-29osip_ctiN0006.fits | letgD1996-11-01greffpr001N0007.fits |
acisiletg0D2012-11-26pimmsN0015.fits
acisiletg0D2013-11-20pimmsN0016.fits |
| LETG0/ACIS-S | (39.8, 158.3) | 10662 | hrmaD1996-12-20axeffaN0008.fits | acisD1997-04-17qeN0006.fits | acisD2010-02-01qeuN0007.fits | acisD1999-09-16dead_areaN0001.fits | acisD1999-08-13contamN0007.fits acisD1999-08-13contamN0008.fits |
516499267.184 548035267.184 |
acisD2000-01-29osip_ctiN0006.fits | letgD1996-11-01greffpr001N0007.fits |
acissletg0D2012-11-26pimmsN0015.fits
acissletg0D2013-11-20pimmsN0016.fits |
| LEG1/ACIS-S | (39.8, 158.3) | 10662 | hrmaD1996-12-20axeffaN0008.fits | acisD1997-04-17qeN0006.fits | acisD2010-02-01qeuN0007.fits | acisD1999-09-16dead_areaN0001.fits | acisD1999-08-13contamN0007.fits acisD1999-08-13contamN0008.fits |
516499267.184 548035267.184 |
acisD2000-01-29osip_ctiN0006.fits | letgD1996-11-01greffpr001N0007.fits |
acissleg1D2012-11-26pimmsN0015.fits
acissleg1D2013-11-20pimmsN0016.fits |
| LETG0/HRC-I |
(7615, 7862) (7603, 7946) |
8531 | hrmaD1996-12-20axeffaN0008.fits | hrciD1999-07-22qeN0008.fits | hrciD1999-07-22qeuN0002.fits | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | letgD1996-11-01greffpr001N0007.fits |
hrciletg0D2012-11-26pimmsN0015.fits
hrciletg0D2013-11-20pimmsN0016.fits |
| LETG0/HRC-S | (2117.0, 8848.3) | 331 | hrmaD1996-12-20axeffaN0008.fits | hrcsD2012-03-18qeN0012.fits | hrcsD2013-01-01qeuN0006.fits | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | letgD1996-11-01greffpr001N0007.fits |
hrcsletg0D2012-11-27pimmsN0015.fits
hrcsletg0D2013-11-20pimmsN0016.fits |
| LEG1/HRC-S | (2117.0, 8848.3) | 331 | hrmaD1996-12-20axeffaN0008.fits | hrcsD2012-03-18qeN0012.fits | hrcsD2013-01-01qeuN0006.fits | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | letgD1996-11-01greffpr001N0007.fits |
hrcsleg1D2012-11-27pimmsN0015.fits
hrcsleg1D2013-11-20pimmsN0016.fits |
| LEGHI/HRC-S | (2117.0, 8848.3) | 331 | hrmaD1996-12-20axeffaN0008.fits | hrcsD2012-03-18qeN0012.fits | hrcsD2013-01-01qeuN0006.fits | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | letgD1996-11-01greffpr001N0007.fits |
hrcsleghiD2012-11-27pimmsN0015.fits
hrcsleghiD2013-11-20pimmsN0016.fits |
Notes for Table 1:
None.
