Gain and RMF release summary

See the summary of filenames for the uniform illumination and WT position-dependent RMFs. Further information on the WT position-dependent RMFs is also available

Table 1: Summary of XRT gain file releases

File version (v0##) * Mode Vss Release date Comment Release note
03 All 0 2004-Nov-12 Pre-launch gain file, derived from Panter data. SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-04.pdf (Gain)
SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-05.pdf (CTI)
04 All 0 2005-Jan-11 GC0 and GC3 coefficient change based on initial in-orbit experience. no document. Release is not identified on the CALDB site but is mentioned in the v007 document.
05 All 0 2005-Apr-05 introduction of a temperature-dependent gain file - valid at launch. no document
06 PC, WT 0 2005-Oct-28 update of the gain/CTI coefficients to 2005-Sep-01 using first corner source data SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-04_v2.pdf
07 PC, WT 0 2007-Jul-30 Update of the Vss=0V WT & PC gain/CTI values to 2007-Jul-04. SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-04_v7.pdf
PC, WT 6 Initial Vss=6V placeholder release.
08 WT 0, 6 2008-May-09 Updated WT gain files to introduce an offset (GC3=17.6 eV) in WT mode. Valid to 2007-Jul-04. SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-04_v8.pdf
08 PC 6 2009-Apr-07 Vss=6V gain and CTI update from 2007-Sep-01 to 2009-Jan-31 for both PC and WT. Includes:
(i) better description of gain/CTI temperature dependence made possible by the continuous collection of corner souce data (from 2008-May); (ii) a gain file format change to accomodate trap correction (presently not used).
SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-04_v9.pdf
09 WT
09 PC 6 2009-Dec-03 Vss=6V gain and CTI update to 2009-Oct-31 for both PC and WT. The WT GC3 (offset) term has been made a linear function of time. No document
10 WT
09 PC 0 2011-Jun-07 New files released to be compatible with the gain file format change. No changes to coefficients. SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-04_v10.pdf
10 WT
10 PC 6 2011-Jun-07 First charge trap correction release aimed at improving the CCD spectral energy resolution. Modified gain file format for xrtcalcpi 0.4.0; now accounts for energy dependent CTI and corrections for the largest charge traps. Coefficients updated to 2010-10-01.
11 WT
10 PC 0 2012-Feb-09 Updated xrtcalcpi to implement broken power-law energy-dependent CTI corrections. SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-04_v11.pdf
11 WT
11 PC 6 2012-Feb-09
12 WT
11 PC 0 2013-Mar-13 Updated gain/CTI coefficients and trap correction tables. Modelling of temperature dependence of the trap depths included. SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-04_v12.pdf
12 WT
12 PC 6 2013-Mar-13
13 WT
13 PC 6 2013-Dec-20 Updated gain/CTI coefficients, trap corrections and energy/temperature dependencies. SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-04_13.pdf
14 WT
15 WT 6 2014-Jul-30 Updated gain/CTI coefficients, trap corrections and energy dependencies. SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-04_14.pdf
14 PC 6 2015-Aug-03 Updated gain/CTI coefficients, trap corrections and energy/temperature dependencies. SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-04_15.pdf
16 WT
15 PC 6 2016-May-10 Updated gain/CTI coefficients, trap corrections and energy/temperature dependencies. SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-04_16.pdf
17 WT
16 PC 6 2017-May-01 Updated gain/CTI coefficients, trap corrections and energy/temperature dependencies. SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-04_17.pdf
18 WT
17 PC 6 2018-Jul-10 Updated gain/CTI coefficients, trap corrections and energy/temperature dependencies. SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-04_18.pdf
19 WT
12 PC 0 2019-Apr-12 Change in file format only. No document
13 WT
11 PD
18 PC 6
20 WT
19 PC 6 2019-Oct-23 Updated gain/CTI coefficients, trap corrections and energy/temperature dependencies. SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-04_20.pdf
21 WT
20 PC 6 2020-Aug-11 Updated gain/CTI coefficients, trap corrections and energy/temperature dependencies. SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-04_21.pdf
22 WT
21 PC 6 2021-Sep-24 Updated gain/CTI coefficients, trap corrections and energy/temperature dependencies. SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-04_22.pdf
23 WT
22 PC 6 2022-Aug-12 Updated gain/CTI coefficients, trap corrections and energy/temperature dependencies. SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-04_23.pdf
24 WT
23 PC 6 2023-Jul-25 Updated gain/CTI coefficients, trap corrections and energy/temperature dependencies. SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-04_24.pdf
25 WT

* This number corresponds to the last 3 digits of the name. For example, the v010 WT gain file is called swxwtgains6_20010101v010.fits

Table 2: Summary of RMF/ARF file releases

File version (v0##)* Mode Vss Release date Valid from ** Comment Release note
06 All 0 2004-Nov-12 2001-Jan-01 Pre-launch RMF release for all modes. XRT-LUX-CAL-108_RMF_v6.pdf
07 All 0 2005-Apr-05 2001-Jan-01 Substrate interactions now included. Improvements made to the loss-shelf modelling. Ad-hoc increase of the event threshold to favour sub-threshold losses in PC & WT mode to improve the line shoulder response. Last PD release. XRT-LUX-CAL-108_RMF_v7.ps
2005-Jul-05 Modified ARF files (v003) to go with v007 RMFs. Last PD release. XRT-OAB-CAL_ARF_v3.pdf
08 PC, WT 0 2006-Apr-24 2001-Jan-01 RMF: change to the surface loss function at low energies for both PC & WT mode to improve their low energy response for soft sources. Loss shelf improved for PC mode observations of heavily absorbed sources. Electronic noise increased to match that seen at in-orbit operating temperatures. SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-09_v8.pdf
ARF: now based on new ray-traced mirror file with correct spider support design and updated gold reflectivity coefficients. Ad hoc corrections applied to match various calibration sources.
09 PC, WT 0 2007-May-31 2001-Jan-01 RMF: implementation of new charge-cloud spreading model in the field-free region for high energy photons (E > 2 keV) for PC mode which increases sub-threshold losses and improves the line shoulder response. Rescaling of the loss-shelf in both PC & WT mode to better match response for heavily absorbed sources. Further refinement to the low energy surface loss-function to improve the response at low energies. Updated CTI values used in simulation code. SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-09_v9.pdf
ARF: new filter transmission curve based on XMM-Newton MOS thin-thickness(*) filter. Corrections applied to area based on Mkn421 rather than the Crab for WT mode. (* Incorrectly identified as medium-thickness in the document.)
10 PC, WT 0, 6 2007-Jul-10 2001-Jan-01 No response changes - RMF and ARF v009 files copied and renamed in preparation for substrate voltage change. The filenames now include the suffix 's0' or 's6' to indicate the appropriate substrate voltage. See v9 release note.
11 PC, WT 0, 6 2008-May-09 2001-Jan-01 RMF: New description of the surface loss function parameters in the 1-2 keV energy range in WT mode which removes a dip in QE at 0.95 keV. CTI values updated appropriate for the middle of 2006. (s0 and s6 RMFs are the same.) SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-09_v11.pdf
ARF: The introduction of a 17.6 eV offset in the WT gain file meant the need for corrections to the area near the O edge were no longer warranted. Likewise for the QE fix at 0.95 keV. The WT ARFs were calculated using physically expected corrections near the Si edge. New PC ARFs were created based on the WT ones, with further scaling corrections applied.
11 WT 0, 6 2009-Apr-07 2007-Mar-01 Broadened WT RMFs appropriate for the epoch 2007-Mar-01 to 2007-Aug-30. (s0 and s6 RMFs are the same.) SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-09_v12.pdf
2007-Sep-01 Broadened WT RMFs appropriate for the epoch from 2007-Sep-01. (s0 and s6 RMFs are the same.)
11 PC 0, 6 2009-Dec-03 2007-Mar-01 Broadened PC RMFs appropriate for the epoch 2007-Mar-01 to 2007-Aug-30. (s0 and s6 RMFs are the same.) SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-09_v13.pdf
2007-Sep-01 Broadened PC RMFs appropriate for the epoch from 2007-Sep-01. (s0 and s6 RMFs are the same.)
12 WT 6 2010-May-28 2007-Sep-01 RMF: A WT only release in which the RMFs were computed with a reduced depletion depth more appropriate for Vss=6V. SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-09_v14.pdf
ARF: associated ARF file to be used only with the v012 RMF.
12 PC 6 2011-Jun-07 2007-Sep-01 PC RMFs newly generated using a smaller depletion depth (20 micron) to account for the reduced QE at high energies appropriate for Vss=6V operation. Energy resolution matched to that obtained for trap corrected data. SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-09_v15.pdf
13 WT V012 WT RMFs were corrected for minor QE changes required for trap corrected data and a PI channel offset introduced by the response broadening.
13 PC 6 2011-Jul-25 2007-Sep-01 These files constitute an erratum release, fixing a file compression problem in the previous RMFs which caused reading errors in the FTOOL addrmf and in Ciao's fitting package, Sherpa. XSPEC users were unaffected. SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-09_v16.pdf
14 WT
12 PC 0 2013-Mar-13 2001-Jan-01 Substrate voltage zero (s0) RMFs valid from the start of the mission until 2006-Dec-31, created from a new CCD simulation code base. SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-09_v17.pdf
12 WT
12 PC 0 2013-Mar-13 2007-Jan-01 Substrate voltage zero (s0) broadened RMFs appropriate for the epoch from 2007-Jan-01 onwards, created from a new CCD simulation code base.
12 WT
14 PC 6 2013-Dec-20 2007-Sep-01 Substrate voltage six (s6) RMFs valid from 2007-Sep-01, created using a new simulation code. SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-09_v18.pdf
15 WT
14 PC 6 2014-Jun-10 2009-Jan-01 Substrate voltage six (s6) RMFs valid from 2009-Jan-01, created using a new simulation code. SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-09_v19.pdf
15 WT
14 PC 6 2011-Jan-01 Substrate voltage six (s6) RMFs valid from 2011-Jan-01, created using a new simulation code.
15 WT
14 PC 6 2013-Jan-01 Substrate voltage six (s6) RMFs valid from 2013-Jan-01, created using a new simulation code.
15 WT
15 WT 6 2013-Dec-12 Substrate voltage six (s6) RMFs valid from 2013-Dec-12 (WT only), created using a new simulation code.
01 WT 0 2014-Jun-10 2001-Jan-01 Three position-dependent RMFs valid from 2001-Jan-01 SWIFT-XRT-CALDB-09_v20.pdf
01 WT 0 2007-Jan-01 Three position-dependent RMFs valid from 2007-Jan-01
01 WT 6 2007-Sep-01 Three position-dependent RMFs valid from 2007-Sep-01
01 WT 6 2009-Jan-01 Three position-dependent RMFs valid from 2009-Jan-01
01 WT 6 2011-Jan-01 Three position-dependent RMFs valid from 2011-Jan-01
01 WT 6 2013-Jan-01 Three position-dependent RMFs valid from 2013-Jan-01
01 WT 6 2013-Dec-12 Three position-dependent RMFs valid from 2013-Dec-12

* This number corresponds to the last 3 digits of the name.

** This date is incorporated into the name before the version number.


Last modified: 2019 November 13