Calibration of the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer Proportional Counter Array

摘要

We present the calibration and background model for the Proportional CounterArray (PCA) aboard the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). The energycalibration is systematics limited below 10 keV with deviations from apower-law fit to the Crab nebula plus pulsar less than 1%. Unmodelledvariations in the instrument background amount to less than 2% of the observedbackground below 10 keV and less than 1% between 10 and 20 keV. Individualphoton arrival times are accurate to 4.4 micro-seconds at all times during themission and to 2.5 micro-seconds after 29 April 1997. The peak pointingdirection of the five collimators is known to a precision of a few arc-seconds