The SAX LECS, MECS & PDS Data Analysis System

• SAXDAS Data Flow
• A walk through SAXDAS data reduction
• SAXDAS installation instructions

The SAXDAS software results from the inclusion of the MECS PDS and HPGSPC instrument software in the SAXLEDAS software, (SAX LECS Data Analysis System) originally developed at ESA/SSD for the LECS instrument. LECS, MECS, HPGSPC and PDS software in the SAXDAS share the same basic philosophy and some of the programs (a stronger similarity existing between LECS and MECS procedures). The dialog with the SAXDAS programs is through runstrings and parameter files.

SAXDAS is freely available via anonymous ftp from SAX SDC ftp server . Latest version currently distributed is 2.3.1 (released on April 2002).

LECS & MECS data analysis software:

Common programs

• fot2disk : dump FOT contents from tape to disk
• foting : FOT filing (into FITS format)
• hkplot : HK plot and GTI creation
• mkgti : make GTI from boolean HK parameter expression
• baryconv : barycentric time conversion

LECS programs

• compevfiles: find compatible event list files
• catobs: concatenate observations
• eng2phys: convert HK data from engineering to physical units
• calcgain: time dependent energy gain of Fe calibration sources
• evelin: event linearization
• lemat
• some tools specifically dedicated to the LECS hardware group.

MECS programs

• mksaxobs: select and concatenates observations. It is a higher level interface to meselobs, that finds compatible event list files and mecatobs, that concatenate observations.
• meeng2phys: convert HK data from engineering to physical units
• mecalcgain: time dependent energy gain of Fe calibration sources
• meevelin: event linearization
• darkearth: generate a dark earth filtered event file.
• memat

PDS programs

• selection and concatenation of observation is performed by mksaxobs.
• pdeng2phys: convert HK data from engineering to physical units
• pdeveq: perform events selection and equalization.
• pdcollgti: generate GTI files related to the positions of the collimators as provided by HK data.
• pdgrpgti: group GTI files in order to create on-source and off-source time intervals.
• pdproducts: extract spectra and light curves from event files.

The saxpipe script is available to run the LECS, MECS or PDS data reduction in an automized, non-graphical way after the FOT reading and up to the creation of a corrected and cleaned photon list (LECS and MECS) or final spectra and light curves (PDS) . The LECS data reduction can be accessed also by means of the lecspipe script.

In order to facilitate Interactive Processing, a graphical-user-interface tool called scs (SAXDAS Command Shell) is also available, from within all software activities can be controlled in a convenient manner.

Documentation

All necessary information to process LECS and MECS data with the SAXDAS is contained in the following documents:

• SAX SDC software pages
• The BeppoSAX LECS Data Analysis System Software User Manual
• Users' Guide to FTOOLS

Questions, comments or suggestions concerning the SAXDAS software can be addressed to asdc_helpdesk@asi.it