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Last modified: 12 December 2023

URL: https://cxc.cfa.harvard.edu/caldb/news.html

What's New for the CALDB

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Date

Item

12 December 2023 CalDB 4.11.0 has been released to the public. Included in this release are the new ACIS "warm-temperature" CTI corrections vN0011, and an updated HRC-I QE N0014 file set (37 new files). Also included are set #5 of the PCAD ACA-primary DARK_CURR (dark current) image files and the Cycle 26 PIMMS Effective Area configuration files, neither of which affect CIAO users. See the CalDB 4.11.0 Release Notes for details.
14 December 2023 CfP Cycle 26 Release Cycle 26 PIMMS Effective areas information, ACIS and GRATING sample (G)RMFs and (G)ARFs for proposal planning by non-CIAO users.
14 September 2023 CalDB 4.10.7 has been released to the public. Included in this release are the latest HRC-S QE Uniformity data sets (version N0017) including one addtional data set effective for OBS_IDs taken after the HRC-S restart. Also included are more PCAD ACA-primary DARK_CURR (dark current) image files, which do not affect CIAO users. See the CalDB 4.10.7 Release Notes for details.
22 March 2023 CalDB 4.10.4 has been released to the public. Included in this release are the latest ACIS T_GAIN (time-dependent gain) updates, which will be updated annually rather than semiannually going forward. Also included with this release are PCAD ACA-primary DARK_CURR (dark current) image files, which do not affect CIAO users. See the CalDB 4.10.4 Release Notes for details.
15 December 2022 CfP Cycle 25 Release Cycle 25 PIMMS Effective areas information, ACIS and GRATING sample (G)RMFs and (G)ARFs for proposal planning by non-CIAO users.
15 November 2022 CalDB 4.10.2 has been released to the public. Included in this release is the latest ACIS OBF Contamination (CONTAM) model (v N0015) upgrade, which adjusts for recent (2020-2022) increases in the contamination rate relative to the older model (v N0014). See the CalDB 4.10.2 Release Notes for details.
16 June 2022 CalDB 4.9.8 has been released to the public. Included in this release are PCAD ALIGN file updates (18 new files, six-month intervals, extending from 2013-2021); HRC-I/Grating angle corrections in the PIXLIB GEOM file vN0007; HRC-S QE Uniformity upgrade version N0016 with and additional new file for new observations. See the CalDB 4.9.8 Release Notes for details.
24 March 2022 CalDB 4.9.7 has been released to the public. Included in this release are ACIS T_GAIN upgrades for Epochs 85+86 (effective 2021-05-02, finalized) and epochs 87+88 (effecive 2021-11-01, provisional), and expanded FP_TEMP boundary conditions for certain ACIS CalDB files applicable to current and future datasets, to accommodate warmer ACIS calibration observations to be taken in the near future. See the CalDB 4.9.7 Release Notes for details.
24 September 2021 CalDB 4.9.6 has been released to the public. Included in this release are ACIS T_GAIN upgrades for Epochs 83+84 (effective 2020-11-01, finalized) and epochs 85+86 (effecive 2021-05-02, provisional), HRC-S T_GMAPs v4, QE v16, and QEU v15, as well as HRC-I QE v13. See the CalDB 4.9.6 Release Notes for details.
29 April 2021 CalDB 4.9.5 has been released to the public. Included in this release are ACIS T_GAIN upgrades for Epochs 81+82 (effective 2020-05-02, finalized) and epochs 83+84 (effecive 2020-11-01, provisional), as well as a new ACIS-S3 CTI correction file for observations taken since 2020-01-01. HRC-I/LETG +/- 1st order LSF parameter files have also been added. See the CalDB 4.9.5 Release Notes for details.
16 Dec 2020 Included in this release are the ACIS CONTAM N0014 upgrade, an HRC-S QEU N0014 upgrade with 29 new files for the library, and a delayed upgrade to the HRC-S PI Region background filter file N0002. See the CalDB 4.9.4 Release Notes for details.
15 Dec 2020 Chandra CfP Cycle 23 proposal planning support data and information have been released, including PIMMS Effective Areas, and model ARFs and RMFs for ACIS Imaging and GRATINGs proposal planning purposes. See the Calibration Proposal Planning web pages for information and access to downloadable files.
16 Oct 2020 CalDB 4.9.3 has been released to the public. Included in this release are the ACIS T_GAIN upgrades for the period 2019-05-02T12:00:00 through the present, and a modified HRC-I GTI_LIM file to be applied to events during the HV Ramp-up on 28-29 September 2020. see the CalDB 4.9.3 Release Notes for details.
09 July 2020 CalDB 4.9.2.1 has been released. Included in this release are (1) A full upgrade of the T_GAIN library (Epochs 1-80); (2) Extended ACIS FP_TEMP boundary conditions for warmer OBS_IDs; (3) HRC-S time-dependent gain maps V3; (4) HRC-S QE version N0015 time-displaced file set; (5)HRC-I QE version N0012 time-displaced file set. See the CalDB 4.9.2.1 Release Notes and the CalDB 4.9.2 Release Notes for details.
04 Apr 2020 CalDB 4.9.1 has been released. CalDB 4.9.1 is compatible only with CIAO 4.12, and vice versa! Included in this release are (1) ACIS T_GAIN updates for 02 May 2019 - present; (2) ACIS DET_GAIN/P2_RESP N0008 files to fix the FI mid-chip gain droop; (3) HRC-S QEU version N0013 file set; (4) ASPECT CALFDC N0004 with STAR and FID light plate scale upgrades. See the CalDB 4.9.1 Release Notes for details.
17 Dec 2019 CalDB 4.9.0 has been released. CalDB 4.9.0 is compatible only with CIAO 4.12, and vice versa! Included is an upgrade to the ACIS CalDB bad pixel library, to identify and tag events falling in the ACIS framestore shadow regions as bad pixel events, to be excluded in Level 2 filtering. This applies only to TE-mode (i.e. non-CC-mode) observations at this point. See the CalDB 4.9.0 Release Notes for details.
17 Dec 2019 Chandra CfP Cycle 22 proposal planning support data and information have been released, including PIMMS Effective Areas, and model ARFs and RMFs for ACIS Imaging and GRATINGs proposal planning purposes. See the Calibration Proposal Planning web pages for information and access to downloadable files.
07 Nov 2019 CalDB 4.8.5, an upgrade to CalDB 4.8.2 and later versions, has been released. Included is ACIS Contamination Model version N0013, with improved fitting results for ACIS modeling for observations taken since 2018. See the CalDB 4.8.5 Release Notes for details.
13 Sep 2019 CalDB 4.8.4.1, an upgrade to CalDB 4.8.2 and later versions, has been released. Included items are EMERGENCY CORRECTIONS to ACIS T_GAIN bi-epochal periods 75+76 and 77+78, which affect ACIS data sets including chips ACIS-0, 1, 2, 3, or 6 for data sets with DATE-OBS later than 2018-05-02T12:00:00. For the way to determine if your data have been affected, see the CalDB 4.8.4.1 Release Notes.
03 Sep 2019 CalDB 4.8.4, an upgrade to CalDB 4.8.2 and later versions, has been released. Included items are ACIS T_GAIN Epochs 77 + 78 (effective 01 Feb 2019 through 31 Jul 2019), HRC-S Version N0012 time-dependent QEU upgrade files, and HRC-I/S SAMP-based RMF files version N0002. See the CalDB 4.8.4 Release Notes for details.
23 May 2019 CalDB 4.8.3, an upgrade to CalDB 4.8.2 and later versions, has been released. Included items are ACIS T_GAIN Epochs 75 + 76 (effective 01 Aug 2018 through 31 Jan 2019), and HRC-S Version N0011 time-dependent QEU upgrade files. See the CalDB 4.8.3 Release Notes for details.
13 DEC 2018 CalDB 4.8.2, an upgrade to CalDB 4.7.3 and later versions, has been released. Included items are HRC-I 2018 GMAP (sampgain) upgrade with associated PIBGSPEC (background spectrum), and HRC-S Version N0010 time-dependent QEU upgrade files. See the CalDB 4.8.2 Release Notes for details.
13 DEC 2018 Chandra CfP Cycle 21 proposal planning support data and information have been released, including PIMMS Effective Areas, and model ARFs and RMFs for ACIS Imaging and GRATINGs proposal planning purposes. See the Calibration Proposal Planning web pages for information and access to downloadable files.
25 Oct 2018 CalDB 4.8.1, an upgrade to CalDB 4.7.3 and later versions, has been released. Included items are ACIS Contamination (CONTAM) file version N0012, with an upgrade to the ACIS-S model. See the CalDB 4.8.1 Release Notes for details.
11 Sep 2018 CalDB 4.8.0, an upgrade to CalDB 4.7.3 and later versions, has been released. Included items are ACIS time-dependent gain correction updates for Epochs 73 & 74 (01 Feb through 31 July 2018) and finalization of the Epochs 71 & 72 files (01 Aug 2017 through 31 Jan 2018.) See the CalDB 4.8.0 Release Notes for details.
28 June 2018 CalDB 4.7.9, an upgrade to CalDB 4.7.3 and later versions, has been released. Included items are See the CalDB 4.7.9 Release Notes for details.
19 March 2018 CalDB 4.7.8, an upgrade to CalDB 4.7.3 and later versions, has been released. Included items are ACIS T_GAIN Epochs 71+72 (Aug 2017 through Jan 2018) updates, with final versions of Epochs 69+70 (Feb through Jul 2017), as well as an upgrade of the HRC-S GAPLOOKUP (degap solution) table to version N0004. See the CalDB 4.7.8 Release Notes for details.
14 Dec 2017 CalDB 4.7.7, an upgrade to CalDB 4.7.3 and later versions, has been released. Included items are HRC-I 2017 GMAP update, with corresponding PIBGSPEC update, and three new HRC-I blank-sky BKGRND events files. See the CalDB 4.7.7 Release Notes for details.
18 Aug 2017 CalDB 4.7.6, an upgrade to CalDB 4.7.3 and later versions, has been released. Included items are ACIS T_GAIN Epochs 69+70 upgrades, and updated versions of the ACIS GROUP G Blank-sky background files. See the CalDB 4.7.6 Release Notes for details.
20 July 2017 CalDB 4.7.5.1, an upgrade to CalDB 4.7.3 and later versions, has been released. Included items are ACIS time- and temperature-dependent CTI corrections for ACIS-S3 only (other chips are unaffected, ACIS Group G (2012 through 2015) Blank-sky Background events files, minor fixes for all the previous ACIS Blank-sky Background files (Groups A-F), and a minor correction to the HRC-S QEU file headers. See the CalDB 4.7.5 Release Notes and the CalDB 4.7.5.1 Release Notes for details.
04 May 2017 CalDB 4.7.4, an upgrade to CalDB 4.7.3 and later versions, has been released. Included items are ACIS T_GAIN Epoch 67+68, HRC-I QE version N0010, and HRC-S BADPIX and QEU upgrades for near-plate-gap events. See the CalDB 4.7.4 Release Notes for details.
15 Dec 2016 CalDB 4.7.3, an upgrade to CalDB 4.7.0 and later versions, has been released along with CIAO 4.9. Included items are ACIS T_GAIN Epoch 65+66, ACIS CONTAM version N0010, HRC-I GMAP and PIBGSPEC for September 2016, a header correction for predictive HRC-S QEU 2019, and PIMMS Cycle 19 Effective Areas. See the CalDB 4.7.3 Release Notes for details.
31 May 2016 CalDB 4.7.2, an upgrade to CalDB 4.7.0 and later versions, has been released. Included are two items which affect only ACIS GRADED CC-mode Obs_IDs taken since 2009-11-01: 1) ACIS GRADE file N0005, previously released with CalDB 4.6.4, has been retracted, and 2) the special ACIS QE for CC-modes has been re-indexed so that it will be used for all GRADED CC-mode observations over the full life of the mission. See the CALDB 4.7.2 Release Notes for details.
25 Mar 2016 CalDB 4.7.1, an upgrade to CalDB 4.7.0 and later versions, has been released. Included are the quarterly ACIS T_GAIN upgrades for Epochs 63 (Aug-Oct 2015) and 64 (Nov 2015 - Jan 2016). Provisional and upstaged ACIS T_GAIN files from 2013 and 2014 have been deleted from the distribution and index. See the CALDB 4.7.1 Release Notes for details.
15 Dec 2015 CalDB 4.7.0, an upgrade to CalDB 4.6.5 and later versions, has been released. Included are the quarterly ACIS T_GAIN upgrades for Epochs 62 (May-Jul 2015) and 63 (Aug-Oct 2015), a modified ACIS QE for older CC-mode observations, annual updates to the HRC-I Gain Map and PI background spectrum files, and two new HRC-I BKGRND event lists for 2014 and 2015, respectively. See the CALDB 4.7.0 Release Notes for details.
23 Sep 2015 CalDB 4.6.9, an upgrade to CalDB 4.6.5 and later versions, has been released. Included are the quarterly ACIS T_GAIN upgrades for Epoch 61 (Feb-Apr 2015) and 62 (May-Jul 2015), an improved gain table for ACIS-S1, and new LSF parameter files for the LETG/HRC-S configuration, with modified mean QE's for HRC-S and HRC-I. See the CalDB 4.6.5 Release Notes for details.
01 Jul 2015 CalDB 4.6.8, an upgrade to CalDB 4.6.5 and later versions, has been released. Included are the quarterly ACIS T_GAIN upgrades for Epoch 60 (Nov-Jan 2015) and 61 (Feb-Apr 2015), as well as "revision A" files for Epochs 56 through 59 which have minor corrections. See the CalDB 4.6.8 Release Notes for details.
23 Feb 2015 CalDB 4.6.7, an upgrade to CalDB 4.6.5 and later versions, has been released. Notable additions include the ACIS T_GAIN Epoch 60 quarterly upgrades (Nov-Jan 2015), and a correction to the HRC index file. See the CalDB 4.6.7 Release Notes for details.
16 Dec 2014 CalDB 4.6.5, an upgrade to CalDB version 4.5.5 and later versions, has been released. Notable additions included are ACIS T_GAIN Epoch 59 updates (Aug-Oct 2014), HRC-I GMAP and PIBGSPEC updates for 2014, and HRC-S QE version N0013 and QEU (version N0007) modifications. See the CalDB 4.6.5 Release notes for details.
29 Aug 2014 CalDB 4.6.3, an upgrade to CalDB version 4.5.5 and later versions, has been released. Notable additions included are ACIS T_GAIN Epoch 58 updates (May-July 2014), HRC-S QEU files for 2014-2020, mitigation of the HRC-S QEU Caveats. CalDB 4.6.3 Release notes for details.
25 July 2014 HRC-S QEU File Search Error Caveat added. This applies to all HRC-S observations taken in 1999 and in 2014. A workaround is prescribed on this page. The fix will be released in mid August 2014.
09 July 2014 CalDB 4.6.2, an upgrade to CalDB version 4.5.5 and later versions, has been released. It contains (a) an ACIS quarterly T_GAIN upgrade (Epoch 57, Feb-Apr 2014), (b) upgrades to PCAD CALALIGN files for 2003, 2006, 2012, and 2013, and finally (c) an upgrade to the ACIS CONTAM file to improve on-axis calibration performance from April 2013 onward. See the CalDB 4.6.2 Release notes for details.
09 April 2014 CalDB 4.6.1.1, a patch upgrade to CalDB 4.6.1 which corrects the HRC branch index listings of the latest two HRC-I background event lists for 2012 and 2013, so that they are selected appropriately for OBS_IDs taken after (UTC) 2012-01-01T00:00:00. See the CalDB 4.6.1.1 Release notes for details.
26 March 2014 CalDB 4.6.1, an upgrade to CalDB 4.5.5, has been released, which includes the latest ACIS quarterly T_GAIN upgrade (Epoch 56, Nov-Jan 2014), and the new HRC-I BKGRND event list library, adding four new files for the most recent calendar years (2010-2013). See the CalDB 4.6.1 Release Notes for details.
19 November 2013 CalDB 4.5.9, an upgrade to CalDB 4.5.5, has been released, which includes the latest ACIS quarterly T_GAIN upgrade (Epoch 55, Aug-Oct 2013), the new ACIS CONTAM N0008 model, and new HRC-I GMAP and PIBGSPEC files for September 2013 and forward. See the CalDB 4.5.9 Release Notes for details.
22 August 2013 CalDB 4.5.8, an upgrade to CalDB 4.5.5, has been released, which includes ACIS Quarterly T_GAIN upgrade for epoch 54 (May-July 2013). See the CalDB 4.5.8 Release Notes for details.
28 June 2013 CalDB 4.5.7, an upgrade to CalDB 4.5.5, has been released. There are several important new items in CalDB 4.5.7, including the ACIS T_GAIN upgrade Epoch 53 (Feb-Apr 2013), updates to the ACIS blank-sky background files (Group F), and a fix for the HRC-S T_GMAP files so that they will be applied to OBS_IDs with no LETG present. See the CalDB 4.5.7 Release Notes for details.
28 Feb 2013 CalDB 4.5.6, an upgrade to CalDB 4.5.5, has been released. There are several important new items in CalDB 4.5.6, including the ACIS T_GAIN upgrade Epoch 52 (Nov-Jan 2013), ACIS blank-sky background files (Group F), and a fix for the FP_TEMP anomaly that occured during Sept-Oct 2005. See the CalDB 4.5.6 Release Notes for details.
13 Dec 2012 CalDB 4.5.5, a cumulative upgrade to CalDB 4.4.7 through 4.5.4, includes the following: ACIS T_GAIN Epoch 51, ACIS time-dependent QEUs, HRC-I 2012 GMAP and PIBGSPEC updates, HRC-S QE for post-HV-adjust OBS_IDs, the PIMMS CY15 Effective areas, and (once again!) RE-re-corrected ACIS Group E blank-sky background files. See the CalDB 4.5.5 Release Notes for details.
13 Dec 2012 CY15 Proposal Planning files have been released, with the new CfP.
15 Oct 2012 CalDB 4.5.3, a cumulative upgrade to CalDB 4.4.7 through 4.5.2, includes the RE-corrected ACIS Group E blank-sky background files, as promised on 04 Oct 2012, when an error was discovered. See the CalDB 4.5.3 Release Notes for details.
27 Sep 2012 CalDB 4.5.2, a cumulative upgrade to CalDB 4.4.7 through 4.5.1, includes the latest ACIS T_GAIN Epoch 50 quarterly updates, as well as corrections to the ACIS GROUP E blank-sky background files. See the CALDB 4.5.2 Release Notes for details.
24 July 2012 CalDB 4.5.1, an upgrade to CalDB 4.4.7 through 4.5.0. This upgrade includes upgrades to the HRC-S time-dependent gain (T_GMAP) file originally released in December 2009. It adds corrections for 2012 Obs_IDs with HRC-S/LETG at either the old or new HRC-S HV settings, which were changed on 29 March 2012. See the CalDB 4.5.1 Release Notes for details.
27 June 2012 CalDB 4.5.0, an upgrade to CalDB 4.4.7-4.4.10. This upgrade includes fixes to the CalDB for certain OBS_IDs that have trouble in reprocessing or analysis due to incorrect calibration validity end dates. It also include new HRC-I and HRC-S GAPLOOKUP (DEGAP solution) files relevant for imaging, LETGS, and timing data. See the CalDB 4.5.0 Release Notes for details.
30 May 2012 CalDB 4.4.10, a patch upgrade to CalDB 4.4.7 and 4.4.8. This upgrade includes latest ACIS Contamination Correction (CONTAM) upgrade version N0007, and the latest T_GAIN corrections from Epoch 49 (Feb-Apr 2012). See the CalDB 4.4.7 Release Notes for details.
24 April 2012 A new CAVEAT PAGE has been added with instructions to correct a problem reading the T_GAIN file from CalDB for 38 specific ACIS archival OBS_IDs.
23 Feb 2012 CalDB 4.4.8, a patch upgrade to CalDB 4.4.x. This upgrade includes latest ACIS T_GAIN corrections from Epoch 48 (Nov 2011-Jan 2012). See the CalDB 4.4.8 Release Notes for details.
15 Dec 2011 CY14 Proposal Planning files have been released, with the new CfP.
2011-12-15 CALDB 4.4.7, a patch upgrade to CalDB 4.4.x, which includes only the latest ACIS T_GAIN Epoch 47 updates, HRC-I GMAPS and PIBGSPEC files for 2010, 2011, and HRC-S QE version N0011. See the CalDB 4.4.7 Release Notes for more information.
2011-12-02 CALDB 4.4.6.1, a patch upgrade to CalDB 4.4.6 only, which includes an upgrade to the HETG GREFF (version N0007), has been released. See the CalDB 4.4.6.1 Release Notes for more information.
2011-09-13 CALDB 4.4.6, a cumulative upgrade to versions 4.2.x and later versions, contains ACIS T_GAIN Epoch 46 updates. See the CalDB 4.4.6 Release Notes for more information.
2011-06-30 CALDB 4.4.5, a cumulative upgrade to versions 4.2.x and later versions, contains ACIS T_GAIN Epoch 45 updates, and HRC-S time-dependent QEU maps See CalDB 4.4.5 Release Notes for more information.
2011-04-26 CALDB 4.4.3, a cumulative upgrade to versions 4.2.x and later versions, contains ACIS T_GAIN Epoch 44 updates, T_GAIN 42 file corrections, and the LETG Grating Efficiencies upgrade version N0007. See the 4.4.3 Release Notes for more information.
2011-03-01 CalDB 4.4.2, a patch to version 4.4.1 (released in Dec 2010 with CIAO 4.3), contains a correction to the ACIS index listing for ACIS CONTAM file version N0006. This corrects an ARDLIB initialization error that occurs for new OBS_IDs when using chips ACIS-8 (S4) and ACIS-9 (S5), such as when running "fullgarf". See the 4.4.2 Release Notes for more information.
2010-12-15 CalDB 4.4.1, a significant upgrade to CalDB to include an upgrade to the ACIS-I CONTAM model, ACIS T_GAIN Epoch 43, the ACIS SUBPIX file, the ACIS T_GAIN Epoch43, the ACIS GRDIMG file, the Temp-dependent CTI correction , the HRC-I QE and GMAP updates, and the HRC-S/LETG tilt correction and LSFPARM upgrades. See the 4.4.1 Release Notes for more information.
2010-12-15 Cycle 13 Proposal Planning files, generated from CalDB 4.4.1, have been released to the public.
2010-09-28 CalDB 4.3.1, a patch upgrade to CalDB to include ACIS T_GAIN Epoch 42 and a pair of ACIS-8 blank-sky background files, has been released. See the 4.3.1 Release Notes for more information.
2010-06-11 CalDB 4.3.0, an important decimal upgrade of the CalDB to include HRC-I background calibrations and the ACIS T_GAIN Epoch 41 updates. See the release notes for more information.
2010-04-05 CalDB 4.2.1, a patch upgrade of the Chandra CalDB, which requires CIAO 4.2 or later CIAO version, has been released. See the release notes for more information.
2009-12-15 CalDB4.2.0, an important (decimal) upgrade of the Chandra CalDB, and necessary to run CIAO 4.2, has been released. See the CalDB 4.2.0 release notes for more information.
2009-09-17 CalDB4.1.4, a patch to all previous CalDB4 versions, has been released. It includes the acis Epoch 38 T_GAIN upgrades (May through Jul 09). See the CalDB 4.1.4 release notes for more information.
2009-07-07 CalDB4.1.3, a patch to all previous CalDB4 versions, has been released. It includes the acis Epoch 37 T_GAIN upgrades (Feb through Apr 09). See the CalDB 4.1.3 release notes for more information.
2009-03-27 CALDB 4.1.2, a patch to CalDB 4.1.0 or 4.1.1, has been released. It includes the ACIS Epoch 36 T_GAIN updates for Nov 08 through Jan 09. See the CalDB 4.1.2 release notes for more information.
2009-01-21 CalDB 4.1.1, a patch to CalDB 4.1.0, was released. It includes upgrades to the HRMA Effective Area and the HETG 1st-order grating efficiencies. See the CalDB 4.1.1 for more information on this upgrade.