Simulations and Mitigation of Pile-Up in XMM CCD Instruments
Abstract
Simulations of the XMM EPIC instruments are presented. They suggest the correct operating mode must be chosen to ensure that spectral analysis of the data is not compromised by `pile-up' effects. The performance is contrasted with the CHANDRA AXAF CCD Imaging Spectrometer, showing how the higher effective area but better over-sampling of its mirror response function in XMM, impacts this pile-up criteria. Targets exceeding a flux of a few 10^-12 ergs cm^-2 s^-1 will be compromised for spectral analysis in these CCD instruments, unless care is taken in defining correct instrument configurations. Some simple methods of mitigating the effects are described, but this feature of X-ray pile-up warrants careful attention in calibration.
- Publication:
-
Experimental Astronomy
- Pub Date:
- November 2000
- Bibcode:
- 2000ExA....10..439L
- Keywords:
-
- CCD DETECTORS;
- CHANDRA;
- DETECTOR SIMULATION;
- XMM;
- X-RAY ASTRONOMY