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Paper: The Chandra Level 3 Master Source Pipeline: Automated Source Correlation from Heterogeneous Observations
Volume: 394, Astronomical Data Analysis Software and Systems (ADASS) XVII
Page: 555
Authors: Hain, R.; Evans, I.; Evans, J.; Glotfelty, K.
Abstract: The Chandra X-ray Center’s Level 3 source catalog seeks to automatically detect sources and compute their properties. Since Chandra is a pointed mission and not a sky survey, different sky regions are observed for a different number of times at varying orientations, resolutions, and other heterogeneous conditions. While this provides an opportunity to collect data from a potentially large number of observing passes, it also creates challenges in determining the best way to combine different detection results for the best characterization of the detected sources. The Chandra Level 3 Master Source Pipeline correlates data from multiple observations by updating existing cataloged source information with new data from the same sky region as they become available. We present real and simulated examples of different overlapping source detections processed in the current version of the Level 3 Master Source Pipeline. We explain how they are resolved into entries in the master source database, and examine the challenges of computing source properties for the same source detected multiple times. Future enhancements are also discussed.
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