XRT Operations --- Active Region and Flare Programs
Active Region Programs
Filter Wheel 1 position = Open
- AR two-filter
- 2 filters - Al/mesh, Ti/poly
- ~ 2 minute cadence
- G-band for context
- 512x512 arcsec FOV, binning 1x1
- e.g. XOB 1777
- AR Band Monitor (To be run during N/S polar pointings)
- Ti/poly filter (Thick-Al rollover filter)
- 2048x512 FOV, 2x2 binning, shifted to center FOV on active region band
- Cadence: 1-2 min
- AEC, flare mode on for CCD saftey.
- e.g. XOB 177D, 177E
- Dynamics (See the PDF for more details.)
- One filter (Ti/poly) with 30 cadence, in burst mode
- Burst starts every 30 minutes, contains 30 images
- Pre-flare images at a 5 sec cadence (no effect on main data rate)
- Binned image with larger FOV for context every 30 mins
- Data rate - intensive - 44.6 Mb/hour. Could be decreased by increasing lag time between bursts.
- G-band for alignment every ~15 minutes
Filter Wheel 1 position = any
Note: Automatic FW movement may be required for some of the programs below. Some programs not available when XRT is operating in stepper mode.
- Standard AR program (AR Monitor) Standard flare program agreed upon at the 2009 June XRT Team meeting (PPT)
- Take 2(or 3)-filter images with 3 different FOVs (Core, Border and Environment) all day.
- Core: 384x384, no binning, AEC3, 1 min cadence, thin Be and one of: Ti/poly, C/poly, Al/poly
- Border: 768x768, 2x2, AEC2, 2 min cadence, Al-mesh, thin Be and one of: Ti/poly, C/poly, Al/poly
- Environment: 1024x1024, 4x4, AEC2, 2 min cadence, thin Be and one of: Ti/poly, C/poly, Al/poly
- Can be modified to use thicker filters and shorter cadences for flare observations.
The following programs were designed in response to a request by the Hinode SWG in 2008. See the PDF for more details.
- Dynamics
- One filter (Ti/poly) with 30 cadence, in burst mode
- Burst starts every 30 minutes, contains 30 images
- Pre-flare images at a 5 sec cadence (no effect on main data rate)
- Binned image with larger FOV for context every 30 mins
- Data rate - intensive - 44.6 Mb/hour. Could be decreased by increasing lag time between bursts.
- G-band for alignment every ~15 minutes
- Morphology
- Al/poly and Thin Be long/short exposure pairs every 7 minutes for imaging hot and cool plasma with a large dynamic range.
- Large field of view (512x512) for imaging entire active region
- High compression (Q90) for data rate concerns
- Moderate data rate - 22 Mb/hr
- G-band for alignment every 20 minutes.
- Thermodynamics
- Nine X-Ray filter combinations, including Al/mesh (thinnest filter) and thick Be (thickest filter)
- long/short exposure pairs in thinner filters for good counts in all parts of AR.
- 256x256 FOV
- Lossless compression for best data rate fidelity
- Intensive data rate - 65 Mb/hr.
- G-band for alignment every 30 minutes
Flare Programs
Filter Wheel 1 position = Open
- Standard flare response
- Flare mode (FL) program
- 384x384 FOV 1x1 bin in thick-Be+Open and thick-Al+Open, AEC 1, compression Q95
- 20 second cadence for the first 10 minutes, then 60 second cadence for the next 10 minutes, then a 10 minute cadence thereafter.
- G-Band for coalignment every 5 minutes
- e.g. XOB 1776
Filter Wheel 1 position = any
Note: Automatic FW movement may be required for some of the programs below. Some programs not available when XRT is operating in stepper mode.
- Standard flare response
- Flare mode (FL) program
- 384x384 FOV 1x1 bin in Med-Be+Open and Med-Al+Open (cadence 15 seconds)
- 1024x1024 FOV 2x2 bin thin-Be every 90 seconds
- G-Band for coalignment every 5 minutes
- Standard Core flare program (monitor AR plasma before, during, after flare)
From a collaboration with EIS (see PDF for more details)
- Normal mode (QT) program
- Normal mode program (QT) should run for 18 hours
- Al/poly(Med-Be) and Thin-Be(Med-Al), 384x384, Q92, no binning, long (AEC 2)/short (AEC 3) pairs, 180 seconds cadence.
- Every 15 minutes, G-band for co-alignment
- Same images (single exposure, Q95, AEC 1,not pairs) in the preflare buffer.
- Data rate - 30 Mbits/hour, can be run for 18 hours with 530Mbits. The preflare data needs 45 Mbits.
- Flare mode (FL) program
- Thin-Be(Thin-Be+Thick-Be) (for continuity) and Med-Be(Med-Be+Thick-Al) with Q95,
AEC 1, 20 second cadence for the first 5 minutes, than 60 second cadence.
- Data rate - 11Mbits for the first 5 minutes, then 52 Mbits/hour for max 2 hours
(in the very rare case of a long duration flare, additional images are taken at 15 min cadence).
- Size of one HOP run Assuming 18 hours of observations with 3 30-min long flares: about 615 Mbits.
Flare patrol images taken with 60 second cadence.
The following programs were designed in response to a request by the Hinode SWG in 2008. See the PDF for more details.
- Coronal configurations that lead to flares
- Normal mode (QT) program
- Normal mode program should run for 12-24 hours previous to the flare.
- Al/poly(Med-Be) and Thin-Be(Med-Al), 384x384, Q95, no binning, long (AEC 2)/short (AEC 3) pairs, 5 min cadence.
- Same images (single exposure, Q92, AEC 1, not pairs) in the preflare buffer
- Every 15 minutes, G-band for co-alignment
- The program uses ~ 8 Mbits/hour and can be run for 24 hours with 192Mbits. The preflare data needs 45 Mbits.
- Flare mode (FL) program
- Thin-Be(Thin-Be+Thick-Be) (for continuity) and Med-Be(Med-Be+Thick-Al) with Q95, AEC 1,
20 second cadence for the first 5 minutes, then 60 second cadence
- 11Mbits for the first 5 minutes, then 52 Mbits/hour for max 2 hours (in the very rare case of a long
duration flare, additional images are taken at 15 min cadence).
- Size of one HOP run Assuming 24 hours of observations with one 60 min long flare: 290 Mbits. Flare patrol images taken with 60 second cadence.
- Inflows in flare current sheets
- QT program
- Normal mode program (QT) should run for 6 hours.
- XRT QT program: C/poly(Med-Be), 768x768, binned 2x2, 60 sec cadence, lossless DPCM compression, AEC2
- FOV offset towards limb
- 263Mbits of data in 6 hours.
- FL program
- Med-Be(Med-Be+Thick-Al), 768x768, binned 2x2, 30 seconds cadence, DPCM, AEC 2
- FOV offset toward limb.
- data rate - about 83Mbit/hour.
- Alternatively, this can be run at 1024x1024 with 53 seconds cadence instead.
- Size of one HOP run, assuming 6 hours of observations (with a 60 min long flare): 302 Mbits.
Flare patrol images taken with 90 seconds cadence.
- Dynamics of SXR ejecta
- QT program
- Thin-Be(Med-Al), 768x768, binned 2x2, AEC I,Q90, 25 seconds cadence.
- The preflare buffers take Thin-Be(Med-Al), 768x768, binned 2x2, AEC 1, Q95 images
- Unbinned 384x384 G-band images for coalignment in context.
- Data rate - 280 Mbits for a 6 hour run.
- FL Program
- Med-Al (Med-Al+Thick-Al),1024x1024,binned 2x2, AEC1, Q90, 10 sec cadence.
- Unbinned 384x384 G-band for coalignment in context.
- Data rate - This take 20Mbits more than the QT program.
- The program will take 360 Mbits for a 6 hour run with one flare and one set of preflare buffer
images. Flare patrol images taken with 60 seconds cadence.
- Flare initiation sites
- QT program
- Normal mode program (QT) should run for 6 hours.
- XRT QT program: Al/poly(Med-Be) and Thin-Be(Med-Al), 384x384, no binning, Q90, AEC 1, 45 sec cadence.
- Every 15 minutes, G-band to coalign with SOT.
- Same images (single exposure, Q95, AEC 1, not pairs) in the preflare buffer.
- Data rate - 30 Mbits/hour and can be run for 6 hours with 180Mbits. The preflare data needs 45 Mbits.
FL program
- Thin-Be(Thin-Be+Thick-Be) (for continuity) and Med-Be(Med-Be+Thick-Al) with Q95,
AEC 1, 20 second cadence for the first 5 minutes, than 60 second cadence.
- Data rate - 11Mbits for the first 5 minutes, then 52 Mbits/hour for max 2 hours
(in the very rare case of a long duration flare, additional images are taken at 15 min cadence).
- The program takes about 280 Mbits for a 6 hour run with one 60min long flare. Flare patrol images are taken with 60 second cadence.