XMM-Newton Users Handbook

2.2 Structure and contents of the Users Handbook

This document contains, in the order listed here:

1. A concise summary of XMM-Newton's properties and the instruments onboard (§ 3) and a description of how to conduct observations with XMM-Newton (§ 4).

2. A description of the two-phase proposal submission and the technical optimisation step performed for approved XMM-Newton proposals (§ 5).

3. A brief description of the data calibration and analysis software (§ 6), which also introduces the XMM-Newton Science Analysis Software SAS (§ 6.1) and the XMM-Newton Science Archive (§ 6.4).

4. Additional sources of information on XMM-Newton (§ 7).

5. Appendices on the XMM-Newton Survey Science Centre (SSC; Appendix A) and the XMM-Newton Routine Calibration Programme (Appendix B).

The information contained in § 3 and § 4 should supply sufficient detail to enable the reader to prepare the submission of an XMM-Newton observing proposal.