Monte Carlo Methods for X-ray Dispersive Spectrometers
Abstract
We discuss multivariate Monte Carlo methods appropriate for X-ray dispersive spectrometers. Dispersive spectrometers have many advantages for high resolution spectroscopy in the X-ray band. Analysis of data from these instruments is complicated by the fact that the instrument response functions are multi-dimensional and relatively few X-ray photons are detected from astrophysical sources. Monte Carlo methods are the natural solution to these challenges, but techniques for their use are not well developed. We describe a number of methods to produce a highly efficient and flexible multivariate Monte Carlo. These techniques include multi-dimensional response interpolation and multi-dimensional event comparison. We discuss how these methods have been extensively used in the XMM-Newton Reflection Grating Spectrometer in-flight calibration program. We also show several examples of a Monte Carlo applied to observations of clusters of galaxies and elliptical galaxies with the XMM-Newton observatory.
Cite
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/0210664,
title = {Monte Carlo Methods for X-ray Dispersive Spectrometers},
author = {J. R. Peterson and J. G. Jernigan and S. M. Kahn},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/0210664},
year = {2007}
}
Comments
12 pages, 11 figures, Contribution for Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation, August 2002, Waikoloa, HI, SPIE Vol. 4847, Printed with the permission of SPIE