English

Calibration database design for the wide-field X-ray telescope on board the Einstein Probe

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics 2026-07-19 v1 High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

Abstract

The wide-field X-ray telescope (WXT) is the primary payload of the Einstein Probe (EP) mission. Utilizing innovative lobster-eye micro-pore optics (MPO), it achieves an unprecedented combination of a large instantaneous field-of-view (FoV) and high detection sensitivity. Precise scientific data analysis relies fundamentally on a standardized and robust calibration database (CALDB). In this paper, we present the design and implementation of the WXT CALDB. The database is designed to manage calibration data for 12 independent WXT modules and 48 CMOS sensors, incorporating both extensive on-ground calibration results and dynamic in-orbit updates. We detail the directory hierarchy, naming conventions, functionality, and the specific formats of key calibration products. The WXT CALDB is seamlessly integrated into the WXT data analysis pipeline, ensuring high data integrity and maximizing the scientific return of the mission.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2607.17312,
  title  = {Calibration database design for the wide-field X-ray telescope on board the Einstein Probe},
  author = {Huaqing Cheng and Hai-Wu Pan and Yuan Liu and Donghua Zhao and Wenxin Wang and He-Yang Liu and Chen Zhang and Zhixing Ling and Weimin Yuan},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2607.17312},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

17 page, 5 figures, 6 tables. Accepted for publication in Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics (RAA)