This page is intended to give some information about the most important programs used at the SAXS beamline for data acquisition and data reduction. Most of the information given is taken from the specific software abstracts. Links to the individual home pages can be found at the Links page of this site.

HCI (data acquisition with 1D-detector)

The program displays data, recorded with the 1d Detectors. The main task of the program is to visualize recorded data on-line for rapid interaction with the experiment. This software can be used, both for displaying one-dimensional Frames, and two-dimensional Patterns performed in static, or time-resolved experiments. The HCI system is commercially available from Hecus X-Ray Systems GmbH, Graz.
File Format: A standard HCI data file begins with a leading header of 512 bytes length. The first 256 bytes (00 to FF hex) are reserved for general information together with some possible user comments. The second 256 bytes (100 to 1F0 hex) contain important program parameter and are not available for editing. Intensities values are saved as 4 byte Integer (low byte, high byte) in the following data format:

where [x1,y1] is the first point of the first Frame (Pattern) and [xend,yend] the last point of the last Frame or Pattern.

Image-Pro Plus (data acquisition with the CCD)

This program is currently used in combination with the CCD. A more user friendly software is under construction. The CCD/Image-Pro system is commercially available from Photonic Science, Robertsbridge, UK.
File Format: Files are stored in 12 bit TIFF format. For a detailed information about this graphic file format you can download a PDF-file.

Lab View

This program is utilized for various remote controlled tasks, e.g. sample manipulation, beamline shutter control, etc.. The procedures are written by members of SAXS group.

IDL (data reduction of time-resolved experiments)

IDL is a computing environment for the interactive analysis and visualization of data. IDL integrates an array-oriented language with numerous mathematical analysis and graphical display techniques. The program is mainly used for the reduction of multiple frame data. Individual procedures are written by members of the SAXS group and are available by request. An own IDL library is planned for the future.

FIT2D (data reduction for CCD-data)

FIT2D, by Andy Hammersley (ESRF), is both a general purpose and specialist 1 and 2 dimensional data analysis program, used on most of the European Synchrotron Research Facility beam-lines and by many other crystallography groups throughout the world. FIT2D is used for both interactive and "batch" data processing.
Calibration and correction of detector distortions is one of the important uses of FIT2D. Difficult data analysis problems may be tackled using fitting of user specified models. To enable model fitting to be performed on a wide variety of input data, many other more basic data analysis operations are also available. A wide variety of performant graphical display methods are available.