SuperAGILE data processing services

TL;DR

SuperAGILE is an X-ray instrument on the AGILE satellite that detects and localizes astrophysical sources in the 18-60 keV range, utilizing advanced data processing software for real-time and offline analysis.

Contribution

This paper describes the development and implementation of the SuperAGILE data processing services and software pipeline, enabling efficient data reduction, source extraction, and analysis.

Findings

Detection and localization of multiple astrophysical sources including Crab and Vela.

Real-time data processing and monitoring capabilities implemented.

Fault-tolerant data management and web-based analysis tools established.

Abstract

The SuperAGILE (SA) instrument is a X-ray detector for As- trophysics measurements, part of the Italian AGILE satellite for X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Astronomy launched at 23/04/2007 from India. SuperAGILE is now studying the sky in the 18 - 60 KeV energy band. It is detecting sources with advanced imaging and timing detection and good spectral detection capabilities. Several astrophysical sources has been detected and localized, including Crab, Vela and GX 301-2. The instrument has the skill to resolve correctly sources in a field of view of [-40, +40] degrees interval, with the angular resolution of 6 arcmin, and a spectral analysis with the resolution of 8 keV. Transient events are regularly detected by SA with the aid of its temporal resolution (2 microsec- onds) and using signal coincidence on different portions of the instrument, with confirmation from other observatories. The SA data processing scientic software performing at the AGILE Ground Segment is divided in modules, grouped in a processing pipeline named SASOA. The processing steps can be summarized in data reduction, photonlist building, sources extraction and sources analysis. The software services allow orbital data processing (near real-time), daily data set integration, Temporal Data Set (TDS) processing and TDS processing with source target optimization (TDS SRC). Automatic data processing monitoring and interactive data analysis is possible from an internet connected worksta- tion, with the use of SA data processing Web services. Many solutions were implemented in order to achieve fault tolerance. Archive management and data storage are performed with the help of relational database instruments.