XTEINDEX - XTE Target Index Catalog

Overview

The Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) Index table was created for the purpose of providing a concise and easily accessible tracking of RXTE observations, both those already completed and those still scheduled to be done. Each entry in this table corresponds to a specific proposal/target combination or `complete observation', in contrast to the RXTE Master table in which each entry corresponds to a specific proposal/target/ObsID combination or `observing segment'. A complete observation can consist of many (in some cases dozens) observing segments.

Bulletin

The XTEINDEX database table was last updated on 20 March 2012.

References

Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE):
	https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/xte/
RXTE Science Operations Facility (SOF):
	https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/xte/SOF/XTESOF.html
RXTE Guest Observer Facility (GOF):
	https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/xte/xtegof.html
RXTE Data Archive:
	https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/FTP/xte/data/archive/
RXTE Daily ObsCats:
	https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/FTP/xte/timelines/obscat/

Description

The XTEINDEX table was updated automatically on a quasi-regular basis whenever the RXTE Science Operations Facility (SOF) updated their short-term or long-term schedules and transferred the new version(s) to the HEASARC. When that occurred, it also incorporated all the latest information on which targets have been observed (using the daily RXTE ObsCats) and which observations have been archived in the public RXTE Data Archive.

Data Products

The XTEINDEX table has the following data products categories available for download:

Intermediate Level Products of Each RXTE Observation (INTPRODS):

This category contains the data files that the typical user of RXTE data will require and is suitable for most but not all types of scientific analyses. It includes science data from the PCA Standard and HEXTE Archive modes, and the complete set of housekeeping, attitude, and orbit data necessary for their analysis. This is the RXTE Projects' recommended data product. Analysis of the data modes with the highest time resolution will require the complete set of files for each ObsID (FULL OBSID): These are not available by querying the XTEINDEX table, but can be obtained on an ObsID-by-ObsID basis by querying the XTEMASTER or XTEPUBLIC tables.

Standard Products (including GIFs) of Each RXTE Observation (STDPRODS):

This category contains FITS files and GIFs of the cleaned light curves and spectra for PCA and HEXTE, plus the filter file, for each selected complete observation. The FITS files are contained in the "stdprod" directory and the GIFs in a subdirectory.

GIF Standard Products of Each RXTE Observation (GIFS):

Similar to STDPRODS, except it contains only the "GIFS" subdirectory under the "stdprod" data directory for each selected complete observation.

PCA Summary Quicklook GIFs of Each RXTE Observation (SUMMARY GIFS):

A subset of the GIFS category, consisting of just two GIFs for each ObsID in the selected complete observation: the PCA Net Cleaned Light Curve and the PCA Net Cleaned Spectrum.

Merged Lightcurves (MERGEDPRODS):

This category contains lightcurves in FITS and GIF formats constructed by combining all of the observation data from the specified proposal for each target. Thus, these products are derived from multiple ObsIDs usually. If the time period in which the observations were made spans more than one detector gain epoch, then there will be separate lightcurves for each epoch.

RXTE Proposal Abstracts (ABSTRACTS):

A text file containing the abstract of the proposal to which the observation belongs.

Parameters

Target_ID
The unique target identifier string, consisting of the RXTE proposal number (prnb parameter) and the target number within the proposal (tar_no parameter) hyphenated together.

Prnb
The RXTE proposal number.

Tar_No
The number of the target in the RXTE proposal under whose auspices the observation was performed.

Scan_Flag
A flag which is set to 'Y' to indicate that the target includes a observation which was a scan or raster.

Num_Obs
The number of ObsIDs (`observing segments') in the complete observation. Each entry in this table corresponds to a specific proposal/target combination or `complete observation', in contrast to the RXTE Master table in which each entry corresponds to a specific proposal/target/ObsID combination or `observing segment'. A complete observation can consist of many (in some cases dozens) observing segments.

Num_Archived
The number of ObsIDs (`observing segments') in the complete observation which have already been archived. Each entry in the XTEINDEX table corresponds to a specific proposal/target combination or `complete observation', in contrast to the RXTE Master table in which each entry corresponds to a specific proposal/target/ObsID combination or `observing segment'. A complete observation can consist of many (in some cases dozens) observing segments.

Start_Time
The start date and time of the first ObsID for the observation.

End_Time
The end date and time of the last ObsID for the observation.

Total_Duration
The total duration of the complete observation (i.e., the summed durations of the individual ObsIDs which comprise it), in seconds.

Total_Exposure
The total amount of time an instrument was on-source during observations of this target, minus periods of Earth occultation and SAA passage, and not counting slews, scans, or observation segments which have gaps. (Earth occultation is defined as a period during which the RXTE elevation angle is less than 0; SAA passage is defined as the period during which RXTE instruments turned off for passage through the South Atlantic Anomaly). It also sometimes referred to as the total "good-time" of the observation.

PI_FName
The first name of the principle investigator (PI) for the specified RXTE observation.

PI_LName
The last name of the principle investigator (PI) for the specified RXTE observation.

Target_Name
The name of the target of the observation as supplied by the PI of the proposal under which it was accepted.

RA
The exposure-weighted average right ascension of the target of the RXTE observation in the selected equinox.

Dec
The exposure-weighted average declination of the target of the RXTE observation in the selected equinox.

LII
The galactic longitude of the target of the RXTE observation.

BII
The galactic latitude of the target of the RXTE observation.

Min_Status
Every accepted RXTE ObsID has an associated status value which was updated as time passed, starting with an initial status of 'accepted' and ending with a final status of 'archived'. The possible values of the ObsID status in chronological order are: accepted, sched (long), sched (short), observed, processed, and archived. The min_status parameter for the complete observation which contains all the individual ObsIDs gives the earliest status for any ObsID in the complete observation as specified by a unique target_id.

Max_Status
Every accepted RXTE ObsID has an associated status value which was updated as time passed, starting with an initial status of 'accepted' and ending with a final status of 'archived'. The possible values of the ObsID status in chronological order are: accepted, sched (long), sched (short), observed, processed, and archived. The max_status parameter for the complete observation which contains all the individual ObsIDs gives the latest status for any ObsID in the complete observation as specified by a unique target_id.

Max_Obs_Offset
The maximum positional difference of any of the individual component observations or ObsIDs that comprise the complete observation from the position of the first ObsID, in arcminutes. The actual maximum positional deviation could be as much as a factor of two higher.

Subject_Category
The subject category to which the target belongs, according to the following RXTE classification system:

    AGN                      (Active Galactic Nuclei)
    NORMAL GALAXIES
    BLACK HOLE CANDIDATES
    PULSARS
    SUPERNOVA REMNANTS AND GALACTIC DIFFUSE EMISSION
    STARS
    OTHER
    LMXB                     (Low-Mass X-Ray Binaries)
    CATACLYSMIC VARIABLES
    HMXB                     (High-Mass X-Ray Binaries)
    CLUSTERS OF GALAXIES AND SUPERCLUSTERS

Class
The HEASARC Browse object classification. This has been obtained based on the value of the subject_category parameter: since the latter is a very broad classification scheme, the class values also are equally broad.

Gain
The PCA gain level or levels corresponding to the various ObsIDs that make up the complete observation.

Contact Person

Questions regarding the XTEINDEX database table can be addressed to the HEASARC Help Desk.

Page Author: Browse Software Development Team
Last Modified: Monday, 16-Sep-2024 17:37:40 EDT