NEWS 6.57 KB
New Features and Important Changes in ctools 1.1.0

7 March 2016


1. Introduction
---------------
This document briefly summarizes the changes that have been made in this
ctools release with respect to the precedent release.


2. Configuration
-----------------
None


3. Python interface
-------------------
The IACT scripts csfindobs, csiactcopy, csiactdata, and csiactobs are only
imported into the cscripts module and tested if the Python version is 2.6 or
newer. These scripts make use of the json Python module that is only became
available from Python 2.6 on.


4. Support model
----------------
The "edispcube" parameter is expected in any tool that supports stacked
analysis. If the parameter is not "NONE" or empty, the ctool::set_obs_response()
method will load the energy dispersion cube and use it in the response
definition of the first observations (#1724).


5. ctobssim - CTA observation simulation
----------------------------------------
The simulation energy range is subdivided internally to avoid having a too
large difference between simulation area and effective area. Before, there
was a simulation area of 19634954 m^2 that was applied to all energies, which
led to the simulation of a huge number of low energy photons that were thrown
away later due to the small effective area. Now, the energy range is subdivided
(controlled using the "eslices" parameter), and for each energy range, the
simulation area is computed from the maximum effective area in that energy
range multiplied by a security factor of 2. This leads to a much more efficient
simulation of low-energy events (#1673).

Any existing events in an event list are now removed before starting the
simulation to enable providing an existing event file on input from which
only the observation attributes are extracted (for example GTI, ROI, energy
range, etc.) while the measured events are replaced by the simulated ones
(#1663).


6. ctselect - CTA event selection
---------------------------------
The tool now allows the usage of non-default extension names for the event
and Good Time Intervals. If the events are not located in the "EVENTS"
extension, the extension name can be provided by appending the extension
name to the input file name using the syntax

    <filename>[<event extension name>]

where <filename> needs to be replaced by the name of the FITS file and
<event extension name> by the name of the FITS extension. ctselect also
extracts the name of the Good Time Intervals extension from the data sub-
space keywords provided in the header of the event file.

The user has now also the possibility to specify other extension names for
the events and the Good Time intervals upon writing of the selected output
file. The format of the "outobs" parameter for this is

    <filename>[<event extension name;GTI extension name>]

If only an event extension name is provided using

    <filename>[<event extension name>]

the original extension name will be kept for the GTIs. Changing only the
GTI extension name can be achieved using

    <filename>[;GTI extension name>]

The ctselect tool now can also write the output into the same file that
was input, replacing the initial event (and eventually also Good Time
Intervals) extensions.


7. ctbin - CTA event binning
----------------------------
Add publish() method to publish the counts cube via a SAMP Hub to Virtual
Observatory interoperable tools (e.g. Aladin).


8. ctlike - Maximum likelihood fitting
--------------------------------------
Add "edispcube" parameter to support energy dispersion for stacked analysis
(#1724).


9. cttsmap - Generation of Test Statistic map
---------------------------------------------
Add publish() method to publish the Test Statistic map via a SAMP Hub to
Virtual Observatory interoperable tools (e.g. Aladin).

Add "edispcube" parameter to support energy dispersion for stacked analysis 
(#1724).


10. ctskymap - CTA sky mapping
------------------------------
Add publish() method to publish the sky map via a SAMP Hub to Virtual
Observatory interoperable tools (e.g. Aladin).


11. ctmodel - CTA counts cube modelling
---------------------------------------
Add publish() method to publish the model cube via a SAMP Hub to Virtual
Observatory interoperable tools (e.g. Aladin).

Add "edispcube" parameter to support energy dispersion for stacked analysis 
(#1724).


12. ctexpcube - CTA exposure cube generation
--------------------------------------------
Add publish() method to publish the exposure cube via a SAMP Hub to
Virtual Observatory interoperable tools (e.g. Aladin).

Remove "edisp" parameter as this is parameter is not needed (#1724).


13. ctpsfcube - CTA point spread function cube generation
---------------------------------------------------------
Remove "edisp" parameter as this is parameter is not needed (#1724).


14. ctedispcube - CTA energy dispersion cube generation
-------------------------------------------------------
This tool generates an energy dispersion cube for a stacked analysis. The
energy dispersion cube holds the migration matrix as function of sky
direction, true photon energy and the migration value which is the ratio
of reconstructed over true energy (#1724).


15. ctbkgcube - CTA background cube generation
----------------------------------------------
Add publish() method to publish the background cube via a SAMP Hub to
Virtual Observatory interoperable tools (e.g. Aladin).


16. ctcubemask - CTA cube filtering
-----------------------------------
Add publish() method to publish the masked counts cube via a SAMP Hub
to Virtual Observatory interoperable tools (e.g. Aladin).


17. ctbutterfly - Generate butterfly diagrams
---------------------------------------------
Add "edispcube" parameter to support energy dispersion for stacked analysis
(#1724).


18. ctulimit - Compute upper limit
----------------------------------
Add "edispcube" parameter to support energy dispersion for stacked analysis
(#1724).


19. cterror - Likelihood profile error computation
--------------------------------------------------
The output filename is now read ahead in case that the tool is executed
(#1700).

Add "edispcube" parameter to support energy dispersion for stacked analysis
(#1724).


20. cscripts
------------
Added the csiactcopy script that copies IACT data from a remote machine to
the user's machine (#1661).

Add csresmap::publish() method to publish the residual map via a SAMP Hub
to Virtual Observatory interoperable tools (e.g. Aladin).

Add "edispcube" parameter to cslightcrv, csresmap, and csspec scripts to
support energy dispersion for stacked analysis (#1724).


21. Examples
------------
None


22. caldb
---------
None


23. models
----------
None