Changes to docs

docs/source/index.rst

@@ -7,20 +7,26 @@ MaLTPyNT documentation
 ======================
 
 The MaLTPyNT (Matteo's Libraries and Tools in Python for NuSTAR Timing)
-suite is designed to do correctly and fairly easily a
-**quick-look timing analysis** of NuSTAR data, treating properly orbital
-gaps and exploiting the presence of two independent detectors by using
-the **cospectrum** as a proxy for the power density spectrum (for an
-explanation of why this is important, look at Bachetti et al., *ApJ*,
-800, 109 -`arXiv:1409.3248 <http://arxiv.org/abs/1409.3248>`__). The
-output of the analysis is a cospectrum, or a power density spectrum,
-that can be fitted with
-`Xspec <http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/xanadu/xspec/>`__ or
-`Isis <http://space.mit.edu/home/mnowak/isis_vs_xspec/mod.html>`__.
-Also, one can calculate in the same easy way **time lags** (still under
-testing, help is welcome). Despite its main focus on NuSTAR, the
-software can be used to make standard spectral analysis on X-ray data
+suite is designed for the **quick-look timing analysis** of NuSTAR data.
+It treats properly orbital gaps (e.g., occultation, SAA passages) and
+performs the standard aperiodic timing analysis (power density spectrum, lags,
+etc.), plus the **cospectrum**, a proxy for the power density spectrum that uses
+the signals from two detectors instead of a single one (for an
+explanation of why this is important in NuSTAR, look at Bachetti et al., *ApJ*,
+**800**, 109 -`arXiv:1409.3248 <http://arxiv.org/abs/1409.3248>`__).
+The output of the analysis, be it a cospectrum, a power density spectrum, or a
+lag spectrum, can be fitted with
+`Xspec <http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/xanadu/xspec/>`__,
+`Isis <http://space.mit.edu/home/mnowak/isis_vs_xspec/mod.html>`__ or any other
+spectral fitting program.
+
+Despite its main focus on NuSTAR, the software can be used to make standard
+spectral analysis on X-ray data
 from, in principle, any other satellite (for sure XMM-Newton and RXTE).
+Input files can be any event lists in FITS format, provided that they meet
+certain minimum standard.
+Also, light curves in FITS format or text format can be used. See the
+documentation of `MPlcurve` for more information.
 
 Preliminary notes
 -----------------

docs/source/tutorial.rst

@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ Loading event lists
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
 Starting from cleaned event files, we will first save them in
-``MaLTPyNT`` format (a pickle file basically). For example, I'm starting
+``MaLTPyNT`` format (a ``pickle`` or ``netcdf4`` file). For example, I'm starting
 from two event lists called ``002A.evt`` and ``002B.evt``, containing
 the cleaned event lists from a source observed with NuSTAR's ``FPMA``
 and ``FPMB`` respectively.
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ don't use netCDF4), containing the event times and the energy *channel*
 (``PI``) of each event
 
 Calibrating event lists
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
 Use ``MPcalibrate``. You can either specify an ``rmf`` file with the
 ``-r`` option, or just let it look for it in the NuSTAR ``CALDB`` (the
@@ -121,7 +121,13 @@ environment variable has to be defined!)
 
 This will create two new files with ``_ev_calib.nc`` suffix that will
 contain energy information. Optionally, you can overwrite the original
-event lists. ### 3. Producing light curves Choose carefully the binning
+event lists.
+
+
+Producing light curves
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Choose carefully the binning
 time (option ``-b``). Since what we are interested in is a power
 spectrum, this binning time will limit our maximum frequency in the
 power spectrum. We are here specifying 2^-8 =0.00390625 for binning time
@@ -150,6 +156,25 @@ To check the light curve that was produced, use the ``MPplot`` program:
 
     $ MPplot 002A_E3-30_lc.nc
 
+``MPlcurve`` also accepts light curves in FITS and text format. FITS light curves
+should be produced by the ``lcurve`` FTOOL or similar, while the text light
+curves should have
+two columns: time from the NuSTAR MJDREF (55197.00076601852) and intensity in
+counts/bin.
+Use
+::
+
+    $ MPlcurve --fits-input lcurve.fits
+
+or
+
+::
+
+    $ MPlcurve --txt-input lcurve.txt
+
+respectively.
+
+
 Joining, summing and "scrunching" light curves
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~