Optimizing the ACIS effective area and energy resolution

George Chartas; Gordon P. Garmire; John A. Nousek; Scott Koch; Steven E. Kissel; Gregory Y. Prigozhin; Mark W. Bautz

doi:10.1117/12.331241

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19 November 1998 Optimizing the ACIS effective area and energy resolution

George Chartas, Gordon P. Garmire, John A. Nousek, Scott Koch, Steven E. Kissel, Gregory Y. Prigozhin, Mark W. Bautz

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Proceedings Volume 3444, X-Ray Optics, Instruments, and Missions; (1998) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.331241
Event: SPIE's International Symposium on Optical Science, Engineering, and Instrumentation, 1998, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

The ACIS flight instrument was recently extensively calibrated at the X-ray Calibration Facility at MSFC. For the analysis of a subset of the ACIS calibration data we have employed an automated even filtering software package developed at PSU. We present result describing the dependence of the Effective Area and Energy Response of ACIS/HRMA as a function of grade selection, split event threshold, CCD and CCD amplifier, and off-axis angle. The main goal of this study is to facilitate the selection of the appropriate ACIS parameters that optimize a desired feature in an observed ACIS spectrum and may also guide observers in selecting the appropriate CCD for the observation. Optimizing a particular feature in an ACIS observation in general may require making a trade-off between effect area and energy response of AXAF/ACIS. The present analysis will facilitate the selection of the appropriate grades, CCD, CCD amplifier and spilt even thresholds needed to attain the optimal point.As an illustration of the effectiveness of this approach we present several case studies of typical astrophysical source spectra in which we enhance a particular scientific feature in the observed ACIS spectrum by the appropriate selection of ACIS parameters.

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George Chartas, Gordon P. Garmire, John A. Nousek, Scott Koch, Steven E. Kissel, Gregory Y. Prigozhin, and Mark W. Bautz "Optimizing the ACIS effective area and energy resolution", Proc. SPIE 3444, X-Ray Optics, Instruments, and Missions, (19 November 1998); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.331241

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