XGA: A module for the large-scale scientific exploitation of archival X-ray astronomy data

TL;DR

XGA is an open-source Python module designed for large-scale, automated analysis of archival X-ray data from the XMM-Newton telescope, facilitating efficient scientific exploitation of X-ray sources.

Contribution

It introduces a new Python package that simplifies and automates the analysis of X-ray sources, integrating data retrieval, processing, and modeling for the first time.

Findings

Enables quick analysis of X-ray sources using all relevant observations.

Provides tools for spectral fitting and radial profile measurements.

Supports future multi-mission and multi-telescope analyses.

Abstract

The XMM Cluster Survey (XCS) have developed a new Python module, X-ray: Generate and Analyse (XGA) to provide interactive and automated analyses of X-ray emitting sources observed by the XMM-Newton space telescope. XGA only requires that a set of cleaned, processed, event lists has been created, and (optionally) that a source detector has generated region lists for the observations. XGA is centered around the concept of making all available data easily accessible and analysable. The user provides information (e.g. RA, Dec, redshift) on the source they wish to investigate, and XGA locates relevant observations and generates required data products. This allows the user to quickly and easily complete common analyses using all relevant observations, thus being left free to focus on extracting the maximum scientific gain. XGA is centered around source and sample classes, which represent different types of X-ray emitting astrophysical objects and have different properties and methods relevant to that type of object. XGA also contains product classes, which provide interfaces to X-ray data products or information (such as radial profiles) that have been derived from them, with built-in methods for fitting, analysis, and visualisation. XGA can fit models to spectra (both global and annular) with XSPEC, measuring spectral properties such as temperature, photon index, and luminosity. XGA can also measure radial profiles of density and temperature for galaxy clusters, allowing the measurement of gas and total mass profiles of galaxy clusters. In the future, we will add support for X-ray telescopes other than XMM (e.g. Chandra, eROSITA), as well as the ability to perform multi-mission joint analyses. With the advent of new X-ray observatories such as eROSITA, XRISM, ATHENA, and Lynx, it is the perfect time for a new, open-source, software package that is open for anyone to use and scrutinise.