WORK PLAN FOR THE EPIC CALIBRATION TEAM 2010-2011 (AND BEYOND)

1. WORK PLAN FOR THE EPIC CALIBRATION TEAM 2010-2011 (AND BEYOND) Matteo Guainazzi – ESAC-ESA – Madrid, 23.4.2010

2. Outline • Status of 2009 BOC objectives • New objectives for 2010-2011 • A few work items at the SOC for 2010 • Plan proposals are in red. Associated deadlines in blue

3. Outline • Status of 2009 BOC objectives • New objectives for 2010-2011 • A few work items at the SOC for 2010

4. MOS redistribution • Implementation foreseen for a post-10 SAS version (10.1) to be release in autumn 2010 • Proposal path: • S.Sembay will send the current best set of canned matrices to the SOC as well as guidelines for extraction region consistent with the canned matrices for testing on XCAL by April 5, 2010 • XCAL testing results by the UG2010 • [Following satisfactory validation] • Keep the current redistribution matrix calculation scheme in SAS (core+patch+wing) • S.Sembay to provide R.Saxton with example code of the new RMF model for conversion to a SAS task plus parameter files for the new redistribution CCF by summer 2010

5. pn redistribution • Recalibration of soft X-ray redistribution ✔ • Recalibration of 6 keV resolution “offset” ✔ • F.Haberl to send the new redistribution CCF numbers by • SOC validation of the new matrix on the XCAL sources by UG2010 • SAS independent release of the new CCF upon successful validation

6. PSF and flux calibration • 2-D PSF • SAS infrastructure ✔ • CCF released ✔ • Current status will be documented in the SAS v10 Validation Report • Continuous testing and ultimate publishing a refereed paper • “Mateos’ effect” • Investigation of RGA obscuration ✔ (unlikely to be the cause) • Investigation of the stray-light buffer shield geometry  UG2010(pending SciSim support from D.Lumb)

7. EPIC pn-Timing/Burst Mode • Recalculation of the rate-dependent CTI after the bug fix in arfgen for SASv9.0 ✔ • Recalibration of the RAWY-dependent Timing Mode Pattern Fraction ✔ • Post SASv10 CCF release • Current plan for Timing Mode: • Inclusion of an energy-dependent in the rate-dependent CTI  BOC2011 • Observation-based rate-depedent CTI  BOC2011 • Plan to be revised with E.Kendziorra/C.Tenzier at Tübingen as of June • No further work on Burst Mode is currently planned (reference paper on the Crab spectra by Weisskopf, Guainazzi, Jahoda et al. to be published on ApJ)

8. EPIC-pn low energy noise rejection • K.Dennerl’s “simple” algorithm (rejection of frames with excess counts with respect to the Poissonian distribution) succesfully validated ✔ • SAS/SPR written – implementation timescale under study by the SAS Team • K.Dennerl is investigating a more sophisticated (and hopefully more powerful) algorithm  Report at the BOC2011

9. Outline • Status of 2009 BOC objectives • New objectives for 2010-2011 • A few work items at the SOC for 2010

10. pn redistribution • Time-dependency • Redistribution of doubles versus single events • Ongoing work • Goal for the implementation of time-dependency SASv11

11. Spatial energy correction in pn • Long-term project to improve the CTI correction based on ground calibration + Vela data may reduce the systematic uncertainties on the energy reconstruction in imaging modes from 10 to 5 eV • M.Guainazzi will present the case to the UG2010, asking for an assessment of the scientific impact of such an improvement to establish proper priority

12. Cal-Thin/Medium/Thin • Cal-Thin (pn)/-Medium (MOS) Vela-SNR in the Routine Calibration Plan as if 2nd semester • New model for general users? • More investigation is required to define science cases and understand implications • Formal process to offer this mode to the XMM-Newton User’s Community only after the publication of the NRCO experiment results in either a public Technical Note or a paper

13. MOS noise • Lots of potentially interesting information has been gathered by the study of the long-term evolution of the noise onsets. Goal: consolidate and publish the results • Path: • A.Read leads a technical note (to be published on the EPIC calibration web pages) with his analysis of the correlation between noise onset and other observables (e.g., radiation levels) • AR will submit to SOC-MOC a proposal on operational requirements to mitigate the noise after the publication of the TN

14. High-energy MOS-pn discrepancy • We need to address the residual 5-8% flux difference between MOS and pn at high energies (3-10 keV) • Path: • Wait for the release of the MOS and pn soft X-ray redistribution refinements • Short-term solution: adjustment to the effective area based on the XCAL/2XMM results • Long-term solution: self-consistent “à la Sembay” recipe extended to the: a) determination of the effective area; b) pn • Initial tests are suggestive that there may be a small improvement (~1%) in the MOS-pn discrepancy with the new PSF • Meeting in autumn 2010 (to be organized by M.Guainazzi) to specifically discuss this item

15. Calibration papers • Proposal: • MOS overall calibration • pn overall calibration • PSF calibration • XMM-Newton cross-calibration • Start working after public release of pn and MOS redistribution refinement • S.Sembay and F.Haberl: propose paper number, topic and leadership by the UG2010 • Final decision (MG+FH+SS) at the UG2010 • First drafts by BOC2011

16. Outline • Status of 2009 BOC objectives • New objectives for 2010-2011 • A few work items at the SOC for 2010

17. A few minor items at the SOC EPIC-IDT • Energy-dependent background subtraction in SW mode • Assessment of the THICK versus THIN/MEDIUM filter calibration • Verification of the pattern fraction of unrecognized events in Imaging Modes • Re-engineering of the user documentation • Re-assessment of pile-up thresholds • Re-assessment of counting mode duty cycle as a function of total count rates