The S/W for Data Reduction and Analysis

Before using some standard analysis software packages like Xspec, Ximage and Xronos, the FOT data, in their original form, have to be pre-processed using a system of proper programs to accomplish linearized and screened final products like event files, spectra, images or light curves.

Two general S/W packages, dealing with the BeppoSAX FOT data, work in two different environments, and a third one, specifically thought for the GRBM data:

• the XAS (X-ray Astronomy Analysis System) is a collection of programs that work in their own XAS environment; these have been written specifically for the PDS, GRBM, HPGSPC and MECS data; the XAS software is available for DEC Ultrix 4.3, DEC OSF 4.x, HP-UX 9.01/9.05 and SUN Os 4.1.x operating systems. Besides, the XASPLOT package is an over-refined IDL (Interactive Digital Language) program that has been developed at ITeSRE/CNR (Nicastro, L., 1996) for the analysis and plotting of XAS data products;
• the SAXDAS (SAX Data Analysis System) is what has come out from the inclusion of the MECS, PDS, and HPGSPC instrument software in the SAXLEDAS software, (SAX LECS Data Analysis System) originally developed at ESA/SSD for the LECS. The basic philosophy and some programs are the same for all these instruments. The products can be directly used with the FTOOLS;
• the GRBMS (GRBM Software) is a collection of programs specifically written for extracting GRBM light curves and spectra from both FOT and RAW GRBM files; an advatange of these programs in comparison with the XAS ones is that the output files' format is ASCII. Moreover, the programming languages, they have been written in, are ansi C and unix bash (Bourne Again SHell): therefore, they can be used within whatever unix operative system. Another benefit concerns the on-line GRB quest (see next chapter): differently from the XAS software, these programs have made it possible to extract and monitor the GRBM raw data, no matter about the operative system and machine architecture; besides, they turned out be more robust and reliable in many cases, when the raw data content was partially corrupted. Last but not least, since they have been written by the author, their usage and products are particularly suitable for the aims of the GRB search and analysis, subject of this work.