ACIS Instrument Support - Monthly Progress Report for October 2010

1.  ACIS Characterization

1.1 Characterize and model radiation damage in ACIS CCDs

  ...  Continued work on irradiation/annealing tests done at GSFC
in 2005.  Writing up as a paper.

1.3 Monitor scientific on-orbit performance of ACIS

  ...  Continued monitoring of ACIS CTI, gain, trailing pixel 
pulseheight, detector efficiency, corner pixel distribution, spectral 
line centroid and width, and focal plane temperature.  Updated 
monitoring web pages.  (http://space.mit.edu/~cgrant/monitor.html)

  ...  Continued to recalibrate CTI-sacrificial charge correction
used in monitoring.  Finalizing new correction factor.

  ...  Examining further how shorter exposure times (< 5 ksec), yield
biased CTI measurements.  Ongoing.

  ...  Checked for any performance changes before and after the recent
Crab observations.  None seen.

2.  Engineering

2.1 Instrument hardware engineering performance

  ...  Continue to monitor long term ACIS instrument performance. 
All ACIS engineering parameters continue to operate within predicted
limits.

2.3 Instrument science performance

  ...  Continued investigation into whether ACIS can act as it's own
radiation monitor, prompted by action from the thermal working group
which is concerned about the continued degradation of EPHIN.  Further
investigation of the false trigger frequency and false trigger source
characteristics.

  ...  Participated in monthly ACIS operations meeting.  Discussed
modeling of ACIS temperatures and using ACIS as a radiation monitor.

  ...  Participated in radiation working group telecon.

  ...  Continued daily quick-look processing of ACIS telemetry and
maintained Web interface to ACIS real-time data.

  ...  Continued to publish the "annotated DOT" timeline reports.


3.  CXC Support

3.1 Provide user support

  ...  Updated ACIS memo listing calibration ObsIDs and 
observation characteristics (ACIS Memo #165).

3.2 Provide data analysis support

  ...  Participated in CXC Cal/Ops modeling discussion group. Discussed 
release of temperature-dependent CTI correction software (!), CC-mode 
calibration and the status of contamination calibration.

  ...  Supplied CXC with dates and times for the data with mis-calibrated
temperatures from September 2005.  Confirmed that their strategy for
the temperature-dependent CTI correction in this time period was sound.

  ...  Continued to maintain ACIS calibration database of ground 
and flight data products.


4.  OCC Support

4.1 Use of MIT/ACIS EGSE at OCC

  ...  Continued support and maintenance of ACIS EGSE software and
hardware at the OCC.


Outreach:

None