XGA: A module for the large-scale scientific exploitation of archival
  X-ray astronomy data
  The XMM Cluster Survey (XCS) have developed a new Python module, X-ray:
Generate and Analyse (XGA) to provide interactive and automated analyses of
X-ray emitting sources observed by the XMM-Newton space telescope. XGA only
requires that a set of cleaned, processed, event lists has been created, and
(optionally) that a source detector has generated region lists for the
observations. XGA is centered around the concept of making all available data
easily accessible and analysable. The user provides information (e.g. RA, Dec,
redshift) on the source they wish to investigate, and XGA locates relevant
observations and generates required data products. This allows the user to
quickly and easily complete common analyses using all relevant observations,
thus being left free to focus on extracting the maximum scientific gain. XGA is
centered around source and sample classes, which represent different types of
X-ray emitting astrophysical objects and have different properties and methods
relevant to that type of object. XGA also contains product classes, which
provide interfaces to X-ray data products or information (such as radial
profiles) that have been derived from them, with built-in methods for fitting,
analysis, and visualisation. XGA can fit models to spectra (both global and
annular) with XSPEC, measuring spectral properties such as temperature, photon
index, and luminosity. XGA can also measure radial profiles of density and
temperature for galaxy clusters, allowing the measurement of gas and total mass
profiles of galaxy clusters. In the future, we will add support for X-ray
telescopes other than XMM (e.g. Chandra, eROSITA), as well as the ability to
perform multi-mission joint analyses. With the advent of new X-ray
observatories such as eROSITA, XRISM, ATHENA, and Lynx, it is the perfect time
for a new, open-source, software package that is open for anyone to use and
scrutinise.
