Bugs: mkacisrmf

mkwarf is required to compute and write a "weightfile" output file which contains FEF regions for use by mkrmf. If the energy range in the input RMF is greater than that in the FEF files, you get an error like:

ERROR: Max egridspec energy=10 above max FEF energy=9.886

Although the comparison to the FEF files is unnecessary in this case, there is currently no way to turn it off (e.g. set the weightfile to "NONE").

Workaround:

In order to avoid the error, it is necessary to define an energy range for mkacisrmf that falls within the boundaries of the FEF files, i.e. approximately 0.28 - 9.8 keV.

The mkacisrmf tool may be used for -110 ACIS data taken on the back-illuminated chips (ACIS-S1 and S3) only.

If the input file contains -110 C data and has the CTI-correction applied but the source is actually on a front-illuminated chip, mkacisrmf fails with an error:

unix% # mkacisrmf (CIAO): ERROR: No non-zero pixels map to valid
chip coordinates in the supplied wmap='src.pi[WMAP]' file

mkacisrmf infile=CALDB outfile=src.wrmf energy="0.3:11.0:0.01"
channel="1:1024:1" chantype=PI wmap=src.pi"[WMAP]" gain=CALDB
clobber=yes verbose=2 mode=h  failed.

Error: Failed to create RMF for evt2.fits[sky=region(src.reg)]

In this case, the user should be using mkrmf to create the RMF file. Refer to the mkacisrmf why topic for more information.

The GRATTYPE is needed for some calibration files in order to distinguish between MEG and HEG. This warning is printed when the keyword is missing from the input file.

However, GRATTYPE is not required by mkacisrmf to select the P2_RESP file, so the warning may be safely ignored.

This error usually indicates that the input dataset was taken at an unsupported focal plane temperature:

unix% dmkeypar source.evt FP_TEMP echo+
0134 FP_TEMP 163.952041630 [K] Real8 Focal Plane Temperature 

In this case, the observation was done at -109C. The mkrmf tool should be used to create the RMF file. Refer to the mkacisrmf why topic for more information.

The mkacisrmf tool does not work correctly with arbitrary, non-standard channel grids.

For chantype=PI the channel parameter should always be channel=1:1024:1, for chantype=PHA the channel parameter should always be channel=1:4096:1.

If the observation has large dy & dz offsets in the aspect solution file and they are quite variable during the observation, the tool will fail with a CALDB error. The large (and varying) offsets cause the mapping from DET to CHIP coordinates to fail and the tool cannot determine which response calibration file to use in creating the RMF.