1. XMM EPIC MOS Andy Read (amr30@star.le.ac.uk) 4 th EPIC BG WG Meeting Mallorca, Spain 25/10/06 Agenda: EPIC BG working group: 4th meeting 25/10/06 – Mallorca Meeting room, Hotel Tora, Peguera, Mallorca. [Times are approximate, and items may drift forward and back] ============= 10:30 - 12:45 Action Items from last meeting (AMR) Progress Reports (Including Actions): - Update on XMM-ESAS (SS) - Update on Blank Sky event files (JAC) ============= 12:45 - 14:00 : Lunch ============= 14:00 - 15:30 Discussion: Web Pages, BG Components Synopsis Table, FWC data, meetings, new scripts/tools, long-term BG trends etc. (AMR + all) ============= 15:30 - 15:45 : Coffee ============= 15:45 - Finish Final session: - Summing-up - AOB - Plans for the next period - Next meeting (and/or next progress [teleconf?] meeting).

2. XMM EPIC MOS Andy Read (amr30@star.le.ac.uk) 4 th EPIC BG WG Meeting Mallorca, Spain 25/10/06 Apologies: MJF, (MK), KK, SM, GP, WNP

3. XMM EPIC MOS Andy Read (amr30@star.le.ac.uk) 4 th EPIC BG WG Meeting Mallorca, Spain 25/10/06 Actions from last meeting (taken from minutes) 1/3

4. XMM EPIC MOS Andy Read (amr30@star.le.ac.uk) 4 th EPIC BG WG Meeting Mallorca, Spain 25/10/06 Actions from last meeting (taken from minutes) 2/3

5. XMM EPIC MOS Andy Read (amr30@star.le.ac.uk) 4 th EPIC BG WG Meeting Mallorca, Spain 25/10/06 Actions from last meeting (taken from minutes) 3/3

6. XMM EPIC MOS Andy Read (amr30@star.le.ac.uk) 4 th EPIC BG WG Meeting Mallorca, Spain 25/10/06 Meetings - Report on BGWG and Blank Sky activities at ESAC Trainee Meeting (JAC, ESAC, July ‘06)

7. XMM EPIC MOS Andy Read (amr30@star.le.ac.uk) 4 th EPIC BG WG Meeting Mallorca, Spain 25/10/06

8. XMM EPIC MOS Andy Read (amr30@star.le.ac.uk) 4 th EPIC BG WG Meeting Mallorca, Spain 25/10/06

9. XMM EPIC MOS Andy Read (amr30@star.le.ac.uk) 4 th EPIC BG WG Meeting Mallorca, Spain 25/10/06

10. XMM EPIC MOS Andy Read (amr30@star.le.ac.uk) 4 th EPIC BG WG Meeting Mallorca, Spain 25/10/06 Files Too Big?

11. XMM EPIC MOS Andy Read (amr30@star.le.ac.uk) 4 th EPIC BG WG Meeting Mallorca, Spain 25/10/06 Only S=standard state files released for now – good. Why only on a per-CCD basis? Can we combine these into full FOV datasets? (Users have requested this)

12. XMM EPIC MOS Andy Read (amr30@star.le.ac.uk) 4 th EPIC BG WG Meeting Mallorca, Spain 25/10/06

13. XMM EPIC MOS Andy Read (amr30@star.le.ac.uk) 4 th EPIC BG WG Meeting Mallorca, Spain 25/10/06

14. XMM EPIC MOS Andy Read (amr30@star.le.ac.uk) 4 th EPIC BG WG Meeting Mallorca, Spain 25/10/06 F in _over_F out Script to perform the F in /F out ratio calculation of Molendi et al. Delivered to BGWG web

15. XMM EPIC MOS Andy Read (amr30@star.le.ac.uk) 4 th EPIC BG WG Meeting Mallorca, Spain 25/10/06 Complicated selection area used for MOS to avoid detector ‘holes’ PN uses simple circular selection area

16. XMM EPIC MOS Andy Read (amr30@star.le.ac.uk) 4 th EPIC BG WG Meeting Mallorca, Spain 25/10/06 In use… Ratio < 1.15 : File is not contaminated by soft protons 1.15 < Ratio < 1.30 : File is slightly contaminated by soft protons 1.30 < Ratio < 1.50 : File is very contaminated by soft protons Ratio > 1.50 : File is extremely contaminated by soft protons

17. XMM EPIC MOS Andy Read (amr30@star.le.ac.uk) 4 th EPIC BG WG Meeting Mallorca, Spain 25/10/06

18. XMM EPIC MOS Andy Read (amr30@star.le.ac.uk) 4 th EPIC BG WG Meeting Mallorca, Spain 25/10/06 Flare-Free Fraction Total Observation Time (max~80 ks) Flare-Free Fraction as a function of orbital position (using ~entire EPIC dataset) GSE-X points towards the sun. GSE-X-GSE-Y plane is the plane of the ecliptic. GSE-Z is towards the north pole. Red indicates higher values. The best observations are made: When the spacecraft is as far from the earth as possible and at 180 degrees from the sun. Towards the sun seems to be better than 90 degrees from the sun. Given the orbit, the best observations will be done in Winter. to Sun K.Kuntz

19. XMM EPIC MOS Andy Read (amr30@star.le.ac.uk) 4 th EPIC BG WG Meeting Mallorca, Spain 25/10/06 L.Foschini

20. XMM EPIC MOS Andy Read (amr30@star.le.ac.uk) 4 th EPIC BG WG Meeting Mallorca, Spain 25/10/06 RGS background count rate - sensitive to both soft protons (few 100s keV) plus higher energy radiation (MeVs),

21. XMM EPIC MOS Andy Read (amr30@star.le.ac.uk) 4 th EPIC BG WG Meeting Mallorca, Spain 25/10/06 Summer (Aug 2003) Winter (Dec 2004 – Jan 2005) ‘Acceptable level’ ~ 1 ct/s @ E>10 keV V.Fioretti & L.Foschini

22. XMM EPIC MOS Andy Read (amr30@star.le.ac.uk) 4 th EPIC BG WG Meeting Mallorca, Spain 25/10/06 ‘Acceptable level’ ~ 1 ct/s @ E>10 keV Summer (Aug 2003) Winter (Dec 2004 – Jan 2005) V.Fioretti & L.Foschini Folded on Orbit Period (48 hours) Evidence for Seasonal Effect!

23. XMM EPIC MOS Andy Read (amr30@star.le.ac.uk) 4 th EPIC BG WG Meeting Mallorca, Spain 25/10/06 Some Other Open Issues espfilt: Brendan tried to upload package - failed with getting a pgp access key. Should be OK now? f_in/f_out script: Onto BGWG page? Scripts page? … with e.g. ‘ghostholes’ + … FWC data: Full FOV issues. + A section for the next newsletter needs to be prepared... Any new tools, files? Vadim Burwitz (for MJF): "EPIC-pn Timing-Mode Closed Filter Background" - New files? Also “Simulation of particle induced EPIC-pn background with Geant4”: Chris Tenzer Plans for future versions of the ESAS s/w package? Convert ESAS into pn tool? Recent Nevalainen paper (astro-ph/0610461) – low energy (<0.5 keV) cal problems pn and/or MOS ? What to present to CAL tomorrow?

24. XMM EPIC MOS Andy Read (amr30@star.le.ac.uk) 4 th EPIC BG WG Meeting Mallorca, Spain 25/10/06 OOT events – removal on an event-by-event basis?

25. XMM EPIC MOS Andy Read (amr30@star.le.ac.uk) 4 th EPIC BG WG Meeting Mallorca, Spain 25/10/06