[Last Change: 22 Feb 2012 (rev 13)]

Chandra Optics Configuration Data

The CXC Calibration group has developed models for Chandra's optics (the High Resolution Mirror Assembly, or HRMA) for use with the SAOTrace raytrace software. The models include optical prescriptions, mirror roughness scattering data, optical constants for the mirror coatings, and optics and baffle positions and alignments.

Downloading Configurations

Packaged configuration and support data for use with SAOTrace are available as compressed tar files. These are specific to the version of SAOTrace that you are running. Use the link in the first column in the following table to download the configurations.

Configuration	SAOTrace Version
Current
orbit-200809-01f	1.0
orbit-200809-01f-a	2.0
Historical
orbit_XRCF+tilts+ol_01b	1.0

Installing configurations

1. Create a directory for the configuration data. The directory should not be inside the directory where SAOTrace was installed.
   For example, if you installed SAOTrace in

   /usr/local/saotrace-2.x.y

   create the directory

   /usr/local/saotrace-db

2. Change into that directory and unarchive the configuration archive.

   cd /usr/local/saotrace-db
   tar xzvf orbit-200809-01fa.tar.gz

You may install multiple configurations at the same time.

Setting up the environment

Set the environment variable SAOTRACE_DB to the absolute path of the directory into which you unarchived the configuration data. For example,

# sh, bash, ksh, zsh:
export SAOTRACE_DB=/usr/local/saotrace-db

# csh, tcsh
setenv SAOTRACE_DB /usr/local/saotrace-db