PIMMS Version 3.9/3.9a/3.9b/3.9c/3.9d/3.9e/3.9f/3.9g/3.9h/3.9i/3.9j/3.9k Release Notes

• New in Version 3.9k (Released 2009 Oct 6)
  • Effective area curves for the Suzaku XIS and HXD instruments have been updated. Background numbers contained in a Suzaku/HXD specific routine have been updated. Suzaku Cycle 5 proposers should use this version of PIMMS.
• New in Version 3.9j (Released 2009 Jan 21)
  • Effective area curves for the Chandra instruments have been updated. The new versions are appropriate for Cycle 11 proposers.
• New in Version 3.9i (Released 2008 Nov 4)
  • This version correctly treats the statistical errors in the Suzaku HXD background files provided to the users.
  • It also crrects bugs for Swift XRT grade 0 count rates as well as ASCA count rates within the typical extraction regions, in cases when a limited energy range is specified.
  • Also when a limited energy range is specified for outputs, the message regarding the lack of instrument-specific extra information has been updated.
• New in Version 3.9h (Released 2008 Oct 20)
  • The effective area curves for Suzaku XIS and HXD have been updated, although differences are minor compared with the previous version. In addition for the HXD, PIMMS now outputs approximate time needed for 3-sigma and 5-sigma detection in the standard energy bands (1 for PIN and 2 for GSO), given the current level of systematic uncertainties in the background models.
• New in Version 3.9g (Released 2008 Sep 15)
  • Effective area curves for XMM-Newton EPIC/MOS and Swift XRT have been updated. For the MOS, a new warning regarding the loss of efficiency in MOS1 timing mode data has been included.
• New in Version 3.9f (Released 2008 Apr 14)
  • Effective area curves for Constellation-X (under the new name "conx"), XEUS, as well as those for Swift UVOT (except grisms), have been updated.
• New in Version 3.9e (Released 2007 Dec 18)
  • Effective area curves for the Chandra instruments have been updated. The new versions are appropriate for Cycle 10 proposers.
• New in Version 3.9d (Released 2007 Oct 23)
  • Effective area curves for Suzaku XIS and HXD instruments have been updated. The new versions are appropriate for Cycle 3 proposers.
• New in Version 3.9c (Released 2007 Sep 12)
  • Effective area curves for XMM-Newton EPIC instruments have been updated, reflecting very minor calibration changes. However, at the same time, PIMMS now predicts count rates for EPIC/pn for PATTERN=0 events only, to provide a more conservative estimates for proposers. This change reduces the predicted count rates typically by a third. There is a corresponding minor change in pile-up correction routine so it will continue using the total (all PATTERN) count rates internally.
• New in Version 3.9b (Released 2006 Dec 26)
  • Updated Chandra effective area curves appropriate for Cycle 9 proposers.
  • A bug that affected energy flux calculations of redshifted, table-based models (including Raymond-Smith) has been fixed. Note that analytical models (power-law, blackbody, bremsstrahlung) were never affected by this bug; neither were table-based models when not redshifted; nor the photon flux calculations of redshifted, table-based models.
• New in Version 3.9a (Released 2006 Oct 26)
  • Suzaku XIS and HXD effective area curves have been updated. The new calibration is appropriate for Cycle 2 proposers.
• New in Version 3.9 (Released 2006 Sep 6)
  • A bug that affected command-line users on Linux platforms, causing a core dump under certain circumstances, has been fixed.
  • XMM-Newton EPIC effective area curves have been updated. The new calibration is appropriate for AO-6 proposers. However, the differences with previous versions are small.

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  This file was last modified on Tuesday, 01-Jun-2010 19:40:21 EDT