For the community

X-IFU response matrices (2023)

As we are moving through the reformulation of Athena, a new set of X-IFU resources is available for download at the link below. Check the INSTRUCTIONS.README file for a description of the response files distributed.

You will find information on the instrument efficiency assumed in generating these response files in Barret et al. (Experimental Astronomy, 2023). Please refer to this paper if you intend to use those response files in your work. Thanks !

Download the .arf and .rmf files

Disclaimer: Per SRDT Chair regulation: “The matrices shall be used solely for the purpose of the science assessment of NewAthena. The results shall not be made public (in presentations, papers etc.) without prior agreement by Mike Cruise and Matteo Guainazzi. Given the delicate status of NewAthena, it is well possible that we will not give permission to make the result public before the Phase A of NewAthena starts.” The X-IFU PI asks X-IFU Consortium members to comply to the regulation above. On the other hand, it is clear that the response files can be used internally, without any restrictions, for any activities related to the instrument development, e.g. performance trade-offs.

SIXTE files related to X-IFU (2023)

SIXTE is a software package for X-ray telescope observation simulations developed at the Remeis Observatory (ECAP). It allows to undertake instrument performance analyses and to produce simulated event files for X-IFU and other instruments. The formal repository for files used by SIXTE for the reformulated X-IFU is here. They are provided to the community by Edoardo Cucchetti, X-IFU performance manager.