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Instrument guides

Software guides

Software links

Latest HEASoft version: 6.34:

Helpdesk

Questions about Swift? Try our guide to Swift or the guide to data processing and analysis. If these don't solve your problem, please feel free to e-mail us at swifthelp@le.ac.uk.

List of acronyms and abbreviations

We are located in the Department of Physics & Astronomy , at the University of Leicester (directions).

Swift Software

HEASoft 6.34 released (2024-08-22).

Swift calibration files and CALDB installation page are available.
(Latest XRT RMF calibration files: 2024-02-28; latest gain files: 2024-05-22)

Swift software

The Swift analysis software is part of HEASoft (the High Energy Astrophysics Software), which encompasses FTools and XANADU (i.e., XSPEC, XRONOS and XIMAGE for spectral, timing and image analysis respectively). A list of the Swift tools is available. They can also be listed using the FTools command fhelp swift.

In order to check that the CALDB is correctly installed, the FTool caldbinfo should be used as follows: 

>caldbinfo

Mode (BASIC, INST, or FULL)[] INST
Name of Mission[] SWIFT
Name of Instrument[] BAT
 ** caldbinfo 1.0.2
... Local CALDB appears to be set-up & accessible
 ** caldbinfo 1.0.2 completed successfully

For "Name of instrument", input either BAT, XRT or UVOTA (the "a" is required).

The release notes for previous version of the software are available.

Notes for Swift 2.3 and onwards

The following GTI expressions are now the defaults for xrtpipeline. Note that the Elevation angle filtering is now less stringent, and the substrate voltage has been increased from 0V to 6V (the change was made in August 2007).

Pointing

(ELV>=30||BR_EARTH>=120)&&(SUN_ANGLE>=45&&ANG_DIST<=0.08&&MOON_ANGLE>=14)&&(CCDTemp>=-102&&CCDTemp<=-47)&&SETTLED==1

The gain and bad pixel files have also been updated and aberration=no is the default; this will therefore give correct positions for sources since the velocity aiding was switched off on 2005-01-31.

Calibration information