HEAsoft v5.0/v5.0.1 Released
We are pleased to announce the release of HEAsoft v5.0/5.0.1
1. How to obtain HEAsoft v5.0.1
HEAsoft v5.0.1 has been released, and can be obtained from:
http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/software/ftools/ftools_menu.html
This is where the most up to date HEAsoft information is available, including notices of the releases, HTML documentation, and the continually updated FAQ. Users should always check here first for answers to questions.
Any problems installing FTOOLS should be reported to:
ftoolshelp@athena.gsfc.nasa.gov
Any problems using FTOOLS for ASCA data analysis should be reported to the ftoolsheelp address above or visit the Feedback form.
If the problem relates to the scientific contents of the FTOOLS, the latter address is more appropriate. Similarly, some questions on the installation and usage of XANADU software should be addressed to
2. New/updated tools related to ASCA data analysis
New/Updated in HEAsoft v5.0
- extractor
- Changed WMAP output from integer to real.
Added ability to use multiple event files with different WCS keywords. The output uses the WCS keywords of the first file and events from later files are remapped by using FITSIO routines to transform pixels to sky coordinates and then back again.
Added support for PIE regions.
Increased the maximum number of GTIs allowed.
Changed the temporary files from formatted to unformatted to save space.
The OPTIC keywords are now modified for the effects of any binning or extraction of a sub-image.
Added wtmapfix parameter to determine whether WMAP pixels outside the selected region should be set to -1.
Added CXC data model keywords to output GTI extensions.
If there is no GTI extension in an event file then extractor now uses TSTART and TSTOP to define a single good time interval.
Bug fixes:
- Rotation on BOX regions was being ignored ! Fixed this.
- Fixed bug that caused regions not to work correctly when XYCENTER/XYSIZE were set.
- Added check for TIMEZERO in events extension and added its value to event times.
- Fixed bug that caused regions with negative declinations to be handled incorrectly.
- Fixed incorrect value of PIXSIZE in output WMAP.
- make_ascaray_images
- This new task creates a set of ray-tracing images by running "ascaray" sequentially. The output can be used by ascaarf, which will be useful for extended source analysis.
- ascaarf
- Added the option to take as input the results of ray-tracing a source distribution (see above).
- mathpha
- Added a new option errmeth='poiss-0' which causes no STAT_ERR column to be written and the POISSERR keyword in the output file to be set to 'T'.
- mkgisbgd
- This new task creates "pure" GIS blank sky images and spectra eliminating point sources
- corpileup
- For SIS observation affected by the event pile-up, this new task estimates the amount of pile-up, and create new spectra in which pile-up effects are corrected as much as possible.
New/Updated in HEAsoft v5.0.1
- CFITSIO
- New new library contains 2 fixes: will no longer allow compressed FITS files to be opened with write access and, modified configure file supports the egcs g77 compiler.
- timeconv, ascalin, and fasttime
- These 3 ASCA tasks need to be rebuilt with the new CFITSIO library so that they cannot mistakenly try to operate on compressed FITS files. No other tasks in HEAsoft 5.0 need to be rebuilt with the new CFITSIO library but it will do no harm if they are.
- mkgisbgd
- New version supports 128 channel GIS3 data.
- ghkdump
- New version supports current format of GIS HK files.
- addarf
- New version fixes the bug which looks for NAXIS2 in the primary array instead of the binary table, increases maximum length of a filename to 255 chars, and increases the maximum number of files to 2500.
- xselect and extractor
- New version fixes problem with annulus region files containing negative coordinate values. Extractor also no longer writes illegal BLANK = -1 keyword in the primary header.
- XIMAGE
-
New version includes bug fixes and minor improvements. A complete list
of changes is available at:
http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/xanadu/ximage/ximrel301.html
- XSPEC
- The following bugs in XSPEC v11.0 are fixed in 11.0.1.
- 11.0a: Xspec will SEGV and dump core if parameter linking expressions are entered in Reverse Polish Notation rather than Algebraic Notation.
- 11.0b: The Xanadu/HEAsoft help system may cause a SEGV if help is entered twice during a session.
- 11.0c: The fakeit command ignores auxiliary response files.
- 11.0d: The fakeit command does not process correctly within a tcl script. See the updated documentation referred to in 11.0e for further information.
- 11.0e: Methods for using xspec interactive commands such as model, fakeit, & newpar inside tcl procedures are not documented.
- 11.0f: XSPEC will SEGV if an attempt is made to invoke a script using the "@" syntax within another script invoked with the "@" syntax
- 11.0h: If a negative multiplicative factor is used to link parameters, e.g. XSPEC> newpar 2 = 3 * -2.5 Then if the model is saved, the save file will read the factor back as an offset, not a multiplicative factor. N.B. Parameters with negative factors may be read back from the save file as "frozen." One may workaround this by thawing the parameter after restoring the model.
- 11.0i: Invalid filename entered for table model causes SEGV
- 11.0j: XSPEC does not recognize correct OGIP / 1992a files (as indicated by the PHAVERSN keyword) if the file is lacking the HDUCLASS keyword
- 11.0k: There are updated data files available for the APEC model package (APEC v1.0).
- 11.0l: Spurious scaling factors are generated when reading models back from "save" files.
- 11.0m: XSPEC will SEGV if the character "@" is typed in on a line by itself.
- 11.0n: XSPEC goes into infinite loop if an incorrect plotting device is entered.
- 11.0o: The URL on the PGPLOT "splash" screen for the bugs page is out of date.
- 11.0p: The entry prompt for response files in fakeit ignores files given by absolute paths.
- 11.0q: tclout error sets $xspec_tclout to the lower limit and the best fit, not to the lower and upper limits.
This file was last modified on Wednesday, 07-Apr-2004 11:04:10 EDT
Curator:
HEASARC Guest Observer Facility
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