The Science Analysis Software (SAS):

The science analysis software (SAS) is the software that has been purposely designed to reduce and analyse XMM-Newton data. The SAS is useful to browse the content of your data (ODF), manipulate XMM-Newton data files, visualize the XMM-Newton calibration files, generate Good Time Interval (GTI) files, merge EPIC event lists, perform source detection on EPIC fields, mosaic images from different exposures and/or instruments and perform barycentric corrections. It can also be used to perform timing or spectral science analysis of calibrated scientific products. It is distributed publicly for a variety of platforms, including 4 flavours of 32 and 64 bit linux, 4 MAC OS versions and for virtual machine use. The latest version of the sas can be found here. A comprehensive library of documentation is also available.

The XMM-Newton Survey Science Centre (SSC) has played a key role in the development of the science analysis software for XMM-Newton. With the SAS in a relatively mature state, SSC SAS software support has declined since 2010, with responsibility for some SSC SAS tasks migrating to SOC personnel, but the SSC continues to have significant input to the SAS.

The SSC SAS task developers, spread widely amongst the SSC institutes, have been responsible for the tasks that perform the scientific preparation, reduction and analysis of data taken by the EPIC pn (MPE) and MOS (Saclay) instruments and the Optical Monitor (MSSL). These teams were also responsible for versions of the wrapper scripts that users can employ to 'pipeline' process their own XMM-Newton data. EPIC source detection software is maintained by the group at the AIP. Maintenance of most of the MOS, OM and pn processing SAS software is already the responsibility of the SOC.

A collection of essential supporting software has been also produced by the SSC SAS team (Leicester, Santander, Toulouse, Brera, the above institutes and also the XMM-Newton Guest Observer Facility at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in the US) over the years. This has included plotting, screening and catalogue production utilities. The Leicester SAS team developed and, until March 2012 maintained, all the software for the main SSC pipeline processing system (PPS).

Almost all of the RGS SAS software is currently maintained by the Science Operations Centre (SOC) team at ESAC, though the original software was developed by Columbia University in the US and SRON in the Netherlands. The SOC team is responsible for the SAS infrastructural tasks, calibration and data access routines and SAS integration.

Software for the cross-correlation of XMM-Newton source lists with archival catalogues is the responsibility of the Strasbourg team at OAS.

For more information please see the SAS pages hosted by the Science Operations Centre at the European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) .

All queries or comments relating to the XMM-Newton SAS should be directed to the ESA XMM-Newton helpdesk (http://xmm.esac.esa.int/xmmhelp) in the first instance.