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User manual for analysing PLC data at the ISDC
This user manual will explain how to analyse the SPI payload calibration (PLC) data taken at ESTEC using the ISDC SPI scientific analysis pipeline.
For more information please read the individual help files of the programs used (e.g. blc_sa --help).
step purpose What you have to do
setup   have your own data_rep on your account. Follow the PLC setup advice. Make sure to use a sufficient machine (e.g. isdcul10, isdcul19, crab, etc.)
setenv COMMONLOGFILE mylog.txt define a logfile If you want to have a log file, set it now. To unset it later just type "unsetenv COMMONLOGFILE"
emacs dols.txt prepare a list of SCWs create a list of SCWs. Here is one example for a valid list of three SCWs: dols.txt. Please have a look on the list of usable PLC data. Please also note that the source was to near to the mask to get highly meaningful images out of SPIROS and SPISKYMAX
og_create idxSwg="dols.txt" ogid="obs_id" baseDir="." create the OG give a (up to now not existing!) name for the obs-branch (obs_id).
cd obs/obs_id   go to your obs branch.
cp $ISDC_ENV/help/source_cat_in.fits . copy source catalogue Analysis is faster if you give to SPIROS and SPISKYMAX an input catalogue. This catalogue is using one of the source positions as seen by SPI during the PLC.
blc_sa
(if you want to avoid the GUI, unsetenv DISPLAY before starting blc_sa !)
do the analysis start with blc_sa, fill in the parameters for the analysis (either off-line using an editor, or by using the GUI which will appear on the screen). The following parameter file can be a basis for your analysis: blc_sa_plc.par (if you want to use it, copy it to $PFILES/blc_sa.par). For different sets of detectors you need different response (IRF). You can get a detector list if you are not familiar with our pseudo-detector scheme. Which IRFs do you want to use? Begin with small numbers of energy bins!
fv spi/source_res.fits
...
output check read the log file, check the images, events table and so on. If it is failing - check for missing/wrong input parameters first.
blc_sa step back and redo parts of the analysis Run blc_sa again. Give the start level you want to begin with (e.g. when you want to define another binning of the data, start with BIN_I) and end-level (e.g. IMA). If this crashes, you have to remove everything and start from og_create again.

In case of questions and comments: contact me at the ISDC.