BiRD: Query Form Description

Object Id.

The characters entered in this field are queried in the Object Name and SIMBAD Name fields of the database. The query is not case sensitive and blanks are ignored (note that this is not a name resolver).

ObsID list

It is possible to enter a list of XMM-Newton Observation Id's.

'%' is used as wildcard character, e.g. 012345% will provide all observations of Proposal 012345.

Position

Center coordinates (J2000) for circular search, with Right Ascension in hours and Declination in degrees, both sexagesimal.

Observation Date

Observing start time in UTC.

Object Type

For display purposes, SIMBAD Object Types have been grouped into five categories: Wavelength criterion, Composite spectra, Solar System objects, Nebulae, Stars and Galaxies. The number of objects having a particular SIMBAD Object Type is shown aside each type.

"Cross-selection" among these categories is possible by clicking while holding "Ctrl" key. This same key combination can be used for unselecting types.

Filters

In addition to the position, observing date and SIMBAD type criteria, queries can be filtered by quality code, neutral Hydrogen column density, redshift and/or exposure time. These filters are combined as logical AND's.

• Quality Code:
  This code runs from 0 (no detection at all) to 10 (significant signal in all valid wavelength bins).

• Neutral Hydrogen Column Density:
  N_H values have been take from "HI in the Galaxy," Dickey, J. M., and Lockman, F. J. 1990, Ann. Rev. Astron. Astrophys., 28:215-61. N_H limits should be entered in cm^-2.

• Redshift:
  Redshift as provided by SIMBAD. Note that any filter in z will effectively exclude all records with no value available for z.

• Exposure Time (Duration):
  The value given here must be taken as an indicator; indeed, it is the average of effective integration time in RGS1 and RGS2. It is given in seconds.

Output Options

The following fields are always output for all queries with positive results: the Observation Identification (Obsid), and the target name and J2000 coordinates as provided in the XMM-Newton proposal.

Other fields in the database can be output by clicking the corresponding checkbox in the Output Options area.

BiRD: Output Form Description

The Output Columns

The Obsid column contains links to:

• the XMM-Newton Observations Log Browser
• the XMM-Newton Science Archive entry for this ObsId, and
• the list of publications where the observation has been discussed, as compiled by the NASA XMM GOF

The Object column has a link to the SIMBAD Query page by Object Identifier

The Coordinates column has a link to the SIMBAD Query page by Coordinates, using as input the object coordinates provided in the XMM-Newton Proposal, and a search radius of 5 arcmin

Sorting

Records can be sorted by any output column by clicking on the column title. Ascending or descending order is obtained by consecutive clicking.

Record Selection

Records can be selected/deselected by clicking the checkboxes at the left of the table (or by using the "Mark All" and "UnMark All" buttons). Selected records are used in the "Plot All" and "Plot Average" options. These options produce a plot or an average of all the selected spectra, respectively. These plots can be corrected by absorption and by redshift by clicking the corresponding boxes. By default, the average spectrum is the average of the normalized spectra, although this option can be changed in the RGS spectrum page (see below).

The RGS Section

• The Spectrum Page, and
• The Image Page

The RGS Spectrum Page

• Selection Wavelength/Energy
• Selection of X and Y ranges (and logarithmic scale)
• Display of error as error bares or as a separate line
• Smoothing
• Binning in pixels
• Binning in Signal-to-Noise Ratio
• Correction for interstellar absorption
• Choice among different flux scales (Flux, nu x Fnu, photons)
• Creation of a postscript file for printing ('Print' button)

The RGS Image page

• On the right side (when available), the EPIC-pn image taken simultaneously with the RGS spectrum. This image has been filtered taking out high-background periods, and including only the energy range 0.3 - 1.8 keV, as to match the RGS spectral range. This image is displayed in DETX,DETY coordinates, that correspond to RGS DISP,XDSP. Shown at the left of the image in red is the profile along the DETY direction. This image is intended to assess the sources present within the RGS FOV.

• On the left side, the RGS1 spatial (bottom) and spectral (top) images.
  • The spatial image corresponds to the first order only. The profile along the XDSP direction is shown in black at the right of this image.
  • The spectral image, "rectified" so that the spectral orders appear as horizontal stripes, first order at the bottom, second order at the top. The calibration lamps are visible as bright, inclined patches.

The EPIC-pn Section

• The Image Page, and
• The True Color Image

The EPIC-pn Image Page

• Selection of the intensity range (and logarithmic scale)
• Display of grid
• Smoothing
• Selection of Color Table

The EPIC-pn True Color Image

• Red: 0.3-0.7 keV
• Green: 0.7-1.2 keV
• Blue: 1.2-8.0 keV

These images are in astronomical coordinates, i.e. North is at the top and East to the left.