Science Tools Working Group
Did not meet this week. We probably will meet next on Nov. 22, for 30 minutes.
The version of ScienceTools is v7r6p1, which includes the first version of the HANDOFF IRFS.
The GLAST Users Committee 'Beta Test' of the science tools is underway today, at NASA Goddard. The Beta Test Web site has links to the data, software, agenda , and presentations for the meeting. The data set is DC2 and the science tools are v7r5. The site is not widely advertised; this is posted here for our reference.
Many of the 'No news' items below can be taken to mean 'preparing for the GUC review.'
Data products: No news.
Databases and related utilities
No news.
Likelihood analysis
No news. Jim has updated exposure_map to write an ENERGIES extension to the exposure maps that it creates, so they can be used for binned likelihood analysis. This update was at the request of David Landriu, who is implementing a binned likelihood version of the catalog analysis pipeline.
GRB tools
No news.
Pulsar tools
No news.
Observation simulation
No news.
User interface and infrastructure
James reports: "James completed and delivered a set of changes to the Ape interface to make it more consistent with other parameter interfaces (XPI, PIL, Ciao)."
Source Catalog
Did not meet this week.
Science Tools Working Group
Did not meet this week. We probably will meet next on Nov. 15.
The version of ScienceTools remains v7r5 but is soon to become v7r6, which will include the first version of the new (handoff review era) IRFs. (ST was tagged this morning and v7r6 is building.)
The GLAST Users Committee 'Beta Test' of the science tools will take place late next week, at NASA Goddard. The Beta Test Web site has links to the data, software, and agenda for the meeting. The presentations themselves will be linked in eventually. The data set is DC2 and the science tools are v7r5. The site is not widely advertised; this is posted here for our reference.
Data products: No news.
Databases and related utilities
No news.
Likelihood analysis
From Jim: "I updated the workbook documentation and reordered the plotting feature in gtlikelihood so that it comes before the query to refit the data rather than at the very end. At Riccardo Rando's request (and Jean's), I reinstated the check in Likelihood that only a single energy range cut be in the FT1 data, since the gtexpmap application does not correctly merge two cuts. That change will require some development in dataSubselector to proceed in full generality."
GRB tools
No news.
Pulsar tools
James reports that through the end of last week "James and Masa continued work on the blind period search tool, modifying the search classes to allow selected frequency ranges to be displayed and output." Masa reports that this week was given over to preparations for presentations to the GUC.
Observation simulation
From Jim: "I added the capability of giving an arbitrary spectral model from an ascii file to the SpectralTransient class, so now it can take two template files, one for the light curve and one for the spectrum. Using it in this mode, however, does not allow for spectral variability as a function of time. This work was to support Solar flare modeling for the Service Challenge run. It will either be generalized to support spectral variability or this functionality will be moved to TransientTemplate where it would be more appropriate."
User interface and infrastructure
James reports: "James analyzed differences between the behavior of 4 parameter interfaces (legacy Ftools interface, PIL, the Ciao interface and the new Ape interface), and met with the HEASARC development team to determine a set of changes to Ape that maximize backward compatibility." Ape will be our new PIL at some point.
Source Catalog
Met yesterday. Jean presented interesting results on likelihood analysis of the test pattern files using results from the optimal filter source detection algorithm as input. He also made further investigations of biases in the measured fluxes of sources. And if you are interested, you will have to look.
Science Tools Working Group
Met this week. We probably will meet next on Nov. 15. At this week's meeting we briefly discussed Science tool development directions over the next year; this topic will come up again, and the page is open for comments.
The version of ScienceTools remains v7r5. Navid has made DC2-like distribution packages of v7r5 for all of the platforms, for the GUC test. My understanding is that the MacOS and Windows versions may have troubles traceable to the external libraries; problems with Python in the MacOS version have been resolved as of the version that Navid uploaded today.
Data products: No news.
Databases and related utilities
No news.
Likelihood analysis
Jim reports that he is working on adding the ad hoc energy correction as described at the IRF working group meeting on October 27. As Jim described in his presentation, the problem is this: "The energy reconstruction from Gleam does not produce measured energy distributions whose average (or mode) values correspond to the input (MC) energy values". Thus, using measured energies to look up response functions (as we generally do with likelihood analysis) results in a bias. To a good approximation the effect can be corrected for; the ultimate solution may be to adjust the energy dispersion functions to return the correct value on average. Jim says that the bias observed in some DC2 spectral fits may also be partially due to errors in the effective areas in the DC2 response functions.
Analia gave a presentation on her Python likelihood script that makes TS contour maps. It is not yet in the CVS repository. It works, and quickly if the model has only 2 parameters (which are therefore both constrained when evaluating the TS grid). It is much, much slower if multiple parameters are fit. Jean and Toby asked about the comparison with the error matrices reported by Minuit. Analia may look into this. The script is not in the CVS repository at SLAC. Dave Davis indicated that the GSSC intends to evolve this into a tool for users.
GRB tools
No news.
Pulsar tools
Masa reports that he and James are still working on the blind search tool (A4). He is also working on the user-level documentation for the pulsar tools in advance of the GUC test. In particular he is making the examples include use of the pulsar ephemeris database.
Observation simulation
No news. Max presented pulsar simulations with phase-dependent light curves at a Pulsar/SNR/Plerion WG VRVS meeting, VRVS Meeting Oct. 31, 2006, this week.
User interface and infrastructure
No news.
Source Catalog
Did not meet this week and will not meet until Nov. 8.