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Made the rest of the changes to the paper from my read through earlier.
Signed-off-by: David Turner <[email protected]>
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@@ -85,22 +85,23 @@ data archives. | |
![A flowchart giving a brief overview of the [Daxa]{.smallcaps} workflow. We indicate the different ways that | ||
[Daxa]{.smallcaps} can be used to access, process, and use archival X-ray data. \label{fig:flowchart}](figures/daxa_paper_flowchart.pdf) | ||
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Almost every sub-field of astronomy, astrophysics, and cosmology has benefited significantly from X-ray coverage over | ||
Every sub-field of astronomy, astrophysics, and cosmology has benefited significantly from X-ray coverage over | ||
the last three decades; the observation of X-ray cavities in galaxy clusters caused by central AGN helped to shed light | ||
on the cooling-flow problem [@cavities]; further X-ray observations allowed for the measurement of spatially-resolved | ||
entropy in hundreds of clusters, dramatically increasing understanding of cooling and heating processes in their | ||
cores; the discovery of quasi-periodic eruptions (QPE) from active galactic nuclei (AGN) [@qpedisco] provided a | ||
high-energy view of young stars and insights into their magnetic fields and stellar winds [@coup, @xest], calibrating | ||
weak-lensing mis-centering for galaxy cluster studies of cosmology [@miscen], and even probing the irradiation of | ||
exoplanets [@xrayirrexo]. Indeed, X-ray telescopes have created many entirely new fields of study; they provided the | ||
first evidence of X-ray sources outside the solar system [@theOG]; discovered the first widely accepted black hole, and | ||
launched the study of supernova remnants [@cygx1andfriends]; and found ionized, volume-filling, gas within the Coma | ||
galaxy cluster (the intra-cluster medium) [@clusterdisco], with the implication that clusters were more than | ||
collections of galaxies. These non-exhaustive lists make evident the importance of X-ray observations to the | ||
astronomy, astrophysics, and cosmology communities. | ||
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The current workhorse X-ray observatories (_XMM_-Newton [@xmm] and _Chandra_; other telescopes are | ||
online but are more specialised) are ageing however, with _Chandra_ in particular experiencing a decline in | ||
cores; quasi-periodic eruptions (QPE) from active galactic nuclei (AGN) where discovered [@qpedisco]; the high-energy | ||
view of young stars gave insights into their magnetic fields and stellar winds [@coup; @xest]; calibrating | ||
mis-centering for galaxy cluster weak-lensing studies helped constrain cosmological parameters [@miscen]; and X-rays | ||
even helped probe the irradiation of exoplanets [@xrayirrexo]. Indeed, X-ray telescopes have created many | ||
entirely new fields of study; they provided the first evidence of X-ray sources outside the solar | ||
system [@theOG]; discovered the first widely accepted black hole, and launched the study of supernova | ||
remnants [@cygx1andfriends]; and found ionized, volume-filling, gas within the Coma galaxy cluster (the intra-cluster | ||
medium) [@clusterdisco], with the implication that clusters were more than collections of galaxies. These | ||
non-exhaustive lists make evident the importance of X-ray observations to the astronomy, astrophysics, and cosmology | ||
communities. | ||
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The current workhorse X-ray observatories (_XMM_[@xmm] and _Chandra_; other telescopes are | ||
online but are more specialised) are ageing, with _Chandra_ in particular experiencing a decline in | ||
low-energy sensitivity that might limit science cases; these missions cannot last forever. If we are to enter an | ||
X-ray desert, where the astrophysics community has only limited access to new X-ray observations from specialised | ||
missions like _Swift_ [@swift], _NuSTAR_ [@nustar], and _XRISM_ [@xrism], then archival data (and serendipitous studies) | ||
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@@ -111,16 +112,10 @@ are uniquely well suited for the kind of archival study facilitated by [Daxa]{.s | |
they generally record the time, position, and energy of each individual photon impacting the detector (true for all | ||
missions currently implemented in [Daxa]{.smallcaps}); this means that we can create images, lightcurves, and spectra | ||
for any object detected within the field-of-view, even if it was not the target. With this software, we | ||
enable the maximum exploitation of existing X-ray archives, to traverse the X-ray desert and ensure that we | ||
enable the maximum use of existing X-ray archives, to traverse the X-ray desert and ensure that we | ||
are fully prepared for future X-ray telescopes such as _Athena_ [@athena] and _Lynx_ [@lynx]. Having easy access to the | ||
whole history of X-ray observations of an object can provide extra context as to its astrophysics, and comes at no | ||
extra cost. | ||
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Finally, [Daxa]{.smallcaps} can be used to further one of the tenets of open-source science, reproducibility. Its | ||
management features both allow the user to keep track of their dataset, but also to version control it. If more data | ||
become available, or existing data need to be reprocessed, then the version of the dataset can be automatically | ||
updated. Research publications can thus reference an exact version number of a dataset, which can be reproduced without | ||
offering the whole dataset for download. | ||
whole history of X-ray observations of an object can provide extra context as to its astrophysics, and comes at little | ||
extra cost. | ||
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[^*]: [email protected] | ||
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@@ -143,8 +138,8 @@ Once a set of relevant observations have been identified, for either a single mi | |
[Daxa]{.smallcaps} data archive can be declared. This will automatically download the selected data from | ||
the various telescope archives, and proceeds to ingest and organise the data so that it can be managed (and if | ||
necessary, updated) through the [Daxa]{.smallcaps} interface. We have also implemented user-friendly, multi-threaded, | ||
data preparation and cleaning routines for some telescopes (_XMM_ and _eROSITA_ in particular, though this will | ||
expand); fine control of the parameters that control these processes is retained, but default | ||
data preparation and cleaning routines for some telescopes (_XMM_ and _eROSITA_ in particular, though more will be | ||
added); fine control of the parameters that control these processes is retained, but default | ||
behaviours can be used if the user is unfamiliar with the minutiae of X-ray data preparation. Another key benefit of | ||
reducing data with [Daxa]{.smallcaps} is the easy access to data logs through our interface, in case of | ||
suspected problems during the reduction processes. The module is also capable of safely handling processing | ||
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@@ -154,12 +149,17 @@ All of this information is retained permanently, not just while the initial [Dax | |
running. Any [Daxa]{.smallcaps} archive can be loaded back in after the initial processing, once again providing access | ||
to the stored logs, and processing information. At this point the archives can also be updated, either by searching | ||
for new data from the existing missions, adding data from a different mission, or re-processing specific observations | ||
to achieve more scientifically useful data. Any such change will be recorded in the archive history, and processed | ||
observations version controlled, so that the data archive can have a specific version that refers to its exact state | ||
at any given time; this version can be referred to in published work using the data archive. Each data archive is also | ||
capable of creating a file that other [Daxa]{.smallcaps} users can import, and which will recreate the data archive by | ||
downloading the same data, and processing it in the same way; this renders making fully processed, and large, X-ray | ||
data files available with a piece of research unnecessary. | ||
to achieve more scientifically useful data. Each data archive is also capable of creating a file that | ||
other [Daxa]{.smallcaps} users can import, and which will recreate the data archive by downloading the same data, and | ||
processing it in the same way; this renders making fully processed, and large, X-ray data files available with a piece | ||
of research unnecessary. This feature in particular can be used to further one of the tenets of open-source | ||
science, reproducibility. | ||
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[//]: # (Any such change will be recorded in the archive history, and processed ) | ||
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[//]: # (observations version controlled, so that the data archive can have a specific version that refers to its exact state ) | ||
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[//]: # (at any given time; this version can be referred to in published work using the data archive.) | ||
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# Existing software packages | ||
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@@ -171,17 +171,17 @@ filtering methods of mission classes in [Daxa]{.smallcaps} (though we provide sl | |
that regard), and they provide Python SQL examples to access the data, but none of the data management and cleaning | ||
functionality that we include. | ||
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Also worthy of mention are the various telescope-specific software packages that underpin [Daxa]{.smallcaps}'s ability | ||
to perform data preparation and cleaning. Particularly important are the _XMM_ Science Analysis System (SAS; @sas) and | ||
the complementary extended SAS (eSAS; @esascook) packages, which allow us to provide simple Python interfaces to the | ||
complex, multi-step, processes that are required to prepare raw _XMM_ data for scientific use. The analogous | ||
_eROSITA_ Science Analysis Software System (eSASS; @erosita) must also be mentioned, as it provides the tools needed to | ||
reduce and prepare _eROSITA_ data. In this vein we must also acknowledge the HEASoft package, which is almost | ||
ubiquitous in X-ray data analyses, and is used by both SAS and eSASS. | ||
[Daxa]{.smallcaps} also builds on the various telescope-specific software packages to perform data preparation and | ||
cleaning. Particularly important are the _XMM_ Science Analysis System (SAS; @sas) and the complementary extended | ||
SAS (eSAS; @esascook) packages, which allow us to provide simple Python interfaces to the complex, multi-step, processes | ||
that are required to prepare raw _XMM_ data for scientific use. The analogous_eROSITA_ Science Analysis Software | ||
System (eSASS; @erosita) must also be mentioned, as it provides the tools needed to reduce and prepare _eROSITA_ | ||
data. In this vein we must also acknowledge the HEASoft package, which is almost ubiquitous in X-ray data | ||
analyses, and is used by both SAS and eSASS. | ||
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Another related software package is the other module in our open-source X-ray astronomy ecosystem, X-ray: Generate | ||
and Analyse ([Xga]{.smallcaps}; @xga). It has none of the same features as [Daxa]{.smallcaps}, as it exists to | ||
analyse large sets of X-ray data, we created [Daxa]{.smallcaps} to create and manage the kind of dataset required for | ||
analyse large sets of X-ray data, but we created [Daxa]{.smallcaps} to build and manage the kind of dataset required for | ||
[Xga]{.smallcaps} to attain maximum usefulness (though such datasets do not _have_ to be analysed with | ||
[Xga]{.smallcaps}). | ||
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@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ identify the relevant observations, download, and process them, as well as to or | |
and make it easier for the dataset to be served to the X-ray community. Construction and administration of such | ||
large, complicated, multi-mission datasets is rendered quick and easy. | ||
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The X-ray Cluster Science (XCS; formerly known as the _XMM_ Cluster Survey) collaboration now uses [Daxa]{.smallcaps} to | ||
The X-ray Cluster Survey (XCS; formerly known as the _XMM_ Cluster Survey) collaboration now uses [Daxa]{.smallcaps} to | ||
create and manage their processed X-ray archive; particularly useful is [Daxa]{.smallcaps}'s support for telescopes | ||
other than _XMM_, which has allowed the serendipitous science undertaken by XCS to expand to the use of different | ||
telescopes. These telescopes are complementary to _XMM_, and also increase the sky coverage, which in turn increases | ||
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