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Next: 3.4 Time Variability Studies Up: 3.3 Expected Count Rates Previous: 3.3.2 Power-law spectrum example

  
3.3.3 Raymond-thermal spectrum example

What is the conversion factor from counts per second to energy flux for a particular spectrum? For example, consider a Raymond-Smith Plasma with a temperature corresponding to 1 keV and a column of 5 x 1021 cm-2 (log(N H) = 21.7). The ECF for this spectral model is taken from Table 10 or Figure 32, it is 8.84 x 109. That is, a flux of 1 x 10-11 ergs cm-2 s-1 in the ROSAT energy band (0.1 to 2.4 keV) will give a count rate of 0.0884 ct s-1 in the HRI. Inverting this relationship gives the result that 1 ct s-1 = 1.13 x 10-10 ergs cm-2 s-1.


  
Figure 30: The ECF (energy-to-counts conversion factor) is plotted as a function of the energy index for the powerlaw spectral model. The values are shown for a range of absorbing column densities (log(NH)).
\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{power.ps}

LINK TO POSTSCRIPT FILE for Figure 30

  
Figure 31: The ECF (energy-to-counts conversion factor) is plotted as a function of the temperature (Log(kT)) for a Thermal Bremsstrahlung spectral model. The values are shown for a range of absorbing column densities (log(NH)).
\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{thermal.ps}

LINK TO POSTSCRIPT FILE for Figure 31

  
Figure 32: The ECF (energy-to-counts conversion factor) is plotted as a function of the temperature (Log(kT)) for a Raymond-Smith spectral model. The values are shown for a range of absorbing column densities (log(NH)).
\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{raymond.ps}

LINK TO POSTSCRIPT FILE for Figure 32

  
Figure 33: The ECF (energy-to-counts conversion factor) is plotted as a function of the temperature (Log(kT)) for a blackbody spectral model. The values are shown for a range of absorbing column densities (log(NH)).
\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{black.ps}

LINK TO POSTSCRIPT FILE for Figure 33

next up previous contents
Next: 3.4 Time Variability Studies Up: 3.3 Expected Count Rates Previous: 3.3.2 Power-law spectrum example
rsdc@cfa.harvard.edu
1999-05-25