SURVEY PLOTS OF REGISTERED FLARES

Raw data from three energy bands are plotted: 

19 - 29  keV, red color
44 - 67  keV, violet
100 - 147 keV, blue-green

Remark: In some plotted events radiation belt particles contaminate solar X-ray data or, some peaks close to X-ray peak are particle peaks. In these peaks the violet or blue-green curve is above the red curve.

March 2000, April 2000, May 2000, June 2000, July 2000, August 2000, September 2000, October 2000, November 2000, December 2000

January 2001, February 2001, March 2001, April 2001, May 2001, June 2001, July 2001, August 2001, September 2001, October 2001, November 2001, December 2001

January 2002, February 2002, March 2002, April 2002, May 2002, June 2002, July 2002, August 2002, September 2002, October 2002, November 2002, December 2002

January 2003

Data of the flares are available in FITS and IDL_SAVE formats below.
 

FITS

March 2000, April 2000, May 2000, June 2000, July 2000, August 2000, September 2000, October 2000, November 2000, December 2000

January 2001, February 2001, March 2001, April 2001, May 2001, June 2001, July 2001, August 2001, September 2001, October 2001, November 2001, December 2001

January 2002, February 2002, March 2002, April 2002, May 2002, June 2002, July 2002, August 2002, September 2002, October 2002, November 2002, December 2002

January 2003
 

IDL-SAVE

March 2000, April 2000, May 2000, June 2000, July 2000, August 2000, September 2000, October 2000, November 2000, December 2000

January 2001, February 2001, March 2001, April 2001, May 2001, June 2001, July 2001, August 2001, September 2001, October 2001, November 2001, December 2001

January 2002, February 2002, March 2002, April 2002, May 2002, June 2002, July 2002, August 2002, September 2002, October 2002, November 2002, December 2002

January 2003
 

Basic Description of the Data and Instructions for Users

On March 12, 2000, a Czech-made Hard X-Ray Spectrometer (HXRS) was launched onboard the U.S. Department of Energy Multispectral Thermal Imager (MTI) satellite. A brief technical description of the instrument as well as information on the project can be obtained HERE.

The raw data output of HXRS gives count rates measured in 10 energy bands of two identical NaI scintillation detectors (one shielded, one unshielded) in the following energies:
 

Table 1. Energy bands of HXRS

Band	From	To	Max.
Number	[keV]	[keV]	counts
0	12.6	19.0	65535
1	19.0	29.0	32767
2	29.0	44.0	16383
3	44.0	67.2	8191
4	67.2	100.2	4095
5	100.2	147.2	2047
6	147.2	219.5	1023
7	219.5	-	511
8	249.5	-	255
9	12.6	-	65535

HXRS observes integrated flux from the solar disk with time resolution of 1 second during quiet period and 0.2 second during flares.  The MTI host is a low altitude (600 km), polar orbit (97 deg), sun-synchronous satellite. This orbit geometry incurs periodic gaps in the HXRS record and frequent collateral data losses due to the following: 35 minutes of eclipse per orbit; four transits through the radiation belts per orbit and irregular, short periods of primary payload observation. The several observational impediments collectively reduce the effective HXRS duty cycle to approximately 38%.  Thus, the EVENT LIST provided in the HXRS data catalog contains only MTI daytime flare events minimally impacted by particle contamination.

HXRS data are archived in two different formats: FITS and IDL-SAVE. Plotting software in IDL is available for reading and plotting the FITS format data.  Users wishing to plot the FITS formatted data (by 'hxrsview.pro') must have access to SolarSoft as well as IDL. Direct reading of the FITS-files can be done by MRDFITS. The IDL-SAVE data can be plotted using only standard IDL plotting software. The 'UTPLOT' procedure contained in SolarSoft improves the plot converting its time-scale into UT.

All available events are ordered by groups, one group per month of observation.  The Yohkoh naming convention is used throughout, e.g., 'f000825_0757.fts' denotes that the file contains flare data observed on 25 August 2000, observations starting at 07:57 UT, in FITS format. The only difference in the IDL-SAVE format is that 'fts' replaced by 'sav'.

Plotting software, 'HXRSVIEW.PRO' can be downloaded by clicking on its name. This code requires both IDL and SolarSoft packages.
 

Basic instructions for using 'hxrsview.pro' :

1. Select the data file from the following data catalog and 'ftp' it by clicking on the file name (right mouse-button).
2. Run 'hxrsview.pro', a widget window opens.
3. Enter the file name (the whole path, if the file is in a different directory) and click on the LOAD button.
4. As soon as the data is read, 'Time from' and 'Time to' appears.
5. Before clicking on the PLOT button select the y-scale (linear or logarithmic + maximum value), the detector (shielded 'S' or unshielded 'N') and the energy band you would like to plot (note that the upper-most energy band (number '9' in Table 1) shows the total count rate, i.e. the sum of all the energy bands.
6. The data may be integrated (to obtain better statistics) by selecting number of readings you wish to integrate in the NSUM sub-window.
7. The minimum value of the Y-axis may be changed and multiple, separated sub-plots may be juxtaposed on the same page. The 'Offset' in logarithmic scale indicates the number of orders of magnitude the particular plot is shifted up (for example number '2' means a shift of 100).  In linear scale the shift is 10 times the given number (i.e. '1' shifts by 10; '5' shifts by 50; etc.)

If using data in the IDL-SAVE format the following operations are necessary to get the plot: 

1. Select the data file and 'ftp' it to your computer.
2. In IDL, do:

restore,'filename'
utplot,cd.time,cd.counts_s(1),bt
outplot,cd.time,cd.counts_s(2)
.
.
(Any of the energy bands can be added with 'outplot' )

If SolarSoft is not available one can use a standard IDL-plot. Any other data (like GOES, for example) can be over-plotted into same time-scale.