********************************************************************************
             |                                            |
             |              CCC  XX   XX    OOO           |
Chandra      |             CC     XX XX    OO OO          | CXC
Electronic   |            CC       XXX    OO   OO         | Number 2
Bulletin     |             CC     XX XX    OO OO          | December
             |              CCC  XX   XX    OOO           | 2000
             |                                            |
********************************************************************************

Welcome to the Chandra X-ray Center's Electronic News Bulletin Number 2.

If you would like to unsubscribe from this alias, please let us know by filling
out a Helpdesk ticket (cxc.harvard.edu and click on "Helpdesk").        
                                                                       

Contents:
1. Chandra Deep Field Archival Opportunity
2. CIAO 2.0 released

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Chandra Deep Field Archival Opportunity 

An opportunity to propose for funded archival research on the two deepest
Chandra fields has recently been posted on the CXC website:

http://cxc.harvard.edu/

(see "Announcements" or "Proposer" links)

The observations are ACIS-I observations of a million seconds each 
of the Hubble Deep Field North and the Chandra Deep Field South.  The
data will become publicly available (with the agreement of the PIs)
in approximately March and May, 2001.  Proposals including a budget
summary are due January 15, 2001.  Full details of the proposal process, 
including research already planned by the PIs on the fields are provided
at the above website.

Belinda Wilkes


------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2.  CIAO 2.0 Released

The Chandra X-ray Center (CXC) is pleased to announce that version 2.0 
of CIAO ("Chandra Interactive Analysis of Observations") is now available.
		-----------------------------------
See the CIAO web site at the CXC for details and download instructions:
		    http://asc.harvard.edu/ciao/
		-----------------------------------

Background to CIAO 2.0:
  A year in the making, CIAO 2.0 represents a major advance over
the first version, as shown by the list of highlights below.
The parallel release of Chandra calibration files in CALDB format,
and the reprocessed data now coming into the archive, will greatly
simplify Chandra analysis and give astronomers much greater power
to extract full value from Chandra data.

  The remarkable science capabilities of the Chandra X-ray Observatory 
demanded new, flexible, multi-dimensional, software to analyze the data 
it returned. The result is CIAO, a system that has proven itself useful 
for the analysis of data from other, non-X-ray missions, because of the
mission independence that is the basis of the CIAO design.

		-----------------------------------

Major new  features of CIAO 2.0:
   - Sherpa enhancements include robust optimization methods, improved error
    calculations, and new save/restore features, as well as several options 
    for analyzing grating data, e.g enhanced analysis of type 2 pha files, 
    analysis in wavelength or energy space, use of multiple backgrounds, 
    background modeling, as well as beta version of GUIDE 
    (Grating User Interactive Data Extension) and S-lang. 

  - GUIDE is designed for high resolution spectral analysis (e.g. line    
    identification). GUIDE works with the line lists and emissivities 
    created by APEC, the successor code to Raymond-Smith. [Which is 
    backwards-compatible with earlier models, e.g. MEKAL.]

  - S-lang provides a scripting language that allows users to create     
    personalized data analysis routines within Sherpa and Chips, via 
    commmon programming control features, interactive access to data
    structures, and the ability to define variables and functions.

  - The datamodel I/O library, underlying all CIAO tools, now supports 
    advanced filtering (e.g. multiple conditions, data flags)

  - Upgraded event processing tools to use the latest calibrations
    and include newly discovered instrumental effects.

  - Better response tools to help users fit spectral features and flat 
    field their observations. The number of RMF files for ACIS has
    been reduced from over 4000 to 4 (1 per temperature). [The true
    number of RMFs has not changed, but they have been packaged more
    cleverly to reduce overhead for users.]

  - More utilities to help users view and manipulate their data.

  - Source detection tools now deal with exposure variations across
    the field.

  - Enhanced online help  ("ahelp") which now includes context,  
    and cross-references; and new thread-based guides (on the WWW).

  - Extensive Web pages describing CIAO 2.0 with useful data analysis
    `threads' and scripts, and updated manuals.

		-----------------------------------
CALDB 2.0:
  In tandem with CIAO2.0 will be the first external release of the
Chandra Calibration Database (CALDB 2.0) and the release of the Atomic
Data Base.  These calibrations provide the most up-to-date
understanding of the current state of the various system on board the
CXO spacecraft.

  These tools and calibrations together with the latest reprocessed   
data should accelerate and expand the scientific possibilities of
Chandra datasets.
		-----------------------------------
Platforms:  
  CIAO2.0 will initially be distributed for Solaris and various Linux
platforms.  A port for the Alpha, CIAO 2.1, is in the works and is 
expected around February 1st 2001. A preview of the additional tools
in the, smaller, CIAO 2.1 release is also available on the CIAO web 
site.
		-----------------------------------
For more information:
  Please check the CXC home pages at http://cxc.harvard.edu and select 
"data Analysis" (direct link: http://asc.harvard.edu/ciao/) for further 
information. 

  CIAO2.0 is a collaborative effort between the CXC Science Data Systems,
the CXC Data Systems, and MIT/CXC personel.

	===========================================================