Swift Data Access

GCN Notices

GCN (GRB Coordinates Network) notices specific to Swift are generated automatically and are stored in the local GCN pages. The local archive updates immediately new data are received.

A description of the GCN system is provided by GSFC; GCN notices are also archived at the GSFC Swift GCN site

More detailed information is relayed in the Circulars and Reports.

Quick Look

Data products are made available as Quick Look data as soon as they have been processed by the Swift Data Center (SDC) at GSFC (a few hours after the observation occurs). The data remain on the Quick Look sites (UK, US, IT) for one week, after which the files are moved to the main archive.

Archive data

Guide to the Swift Archive (pdf)

The UK Swift Science Data Centre provides two ways of accessing the Swift archive:

Swift Download Portal -: Simple interface allowing searching by name and target id.
Full catalogue query tool -: Comprehensive catalogue search tool (based on the LEDAS search interface).

If you want to download all the data for a target, then you probably want to use the download portal. However, this only allows you to find observations by the name of the target, or by searching through a target list for a given year/month. If this is not sufficient, for example you may want to do a cone search, you need the more advanced LEDAS interface. The lists below show briefly the pros and cons of the two interfaces.

Download Portal

Advantages

Very quick data access
One tar file per object
(may span many observations)
Gives an estimated download size
(requires Javascript)

Disadvantages

Search interface is very simple
Does not provide detailed information about observations

LEDAS Catalogue Query

Advantages

Performs complex searches very easily (including cone searches)
Provides detailed information on observations
Allows use of the portal for downloads.

Disadvantages

Simple searches take longer than with the download portal

Products

GRBs
- XRT light-curves, spectra and positions are automatically created for every GRB which Swift follows-up, both those triggered by the BAT and those from other missions for which a ToO observation is performed. Additional BAT+XRT light-curves are also available from the Burst Analyser. All links can also be found from the XRT Products page. The GRB Region page provides information about the field of view around BAT GRB triggers, including DSS images and nearby galaxies.
Non-GRBs
- In the case of Non-GRB sources, high level XRT products can be built on request.

An overview of the convention for assigning Observation IDs is available.