Assuming a reference image loaded into the image display, a profile is produced typically by a pipeline containing a SELECT/BOX and a BIN command in one of the spatial photon parameters XPIX,YPIX,XDET,YDET. In the following command line the photons selected within a box in sky coordinates are binned according to their XPIX coordinate.
Midas 001> SELECT/BOX cursor BIN XPIX 10 in=events out=table
The output is written to the table table.tbl.
In general such a box would be mostly elongated in the direction of the binning (the x direction in the example), the other direction (the y direction in the example) being taken about as large as the Point Spread Function. The following command file would create, when executed, the profiles in the x and y directions of the photons selected within a squared area:
INPUT events
A = SELECT/BOX (100,300) to (1100,1300)
B1 = BIN A:XPIX 1
B2 = BIN A:YPIX 1
OUTPUT B1,B2: to profiles
END
Notice that, in the case of PSPC data only, by setting Projection in correction mode via the command SET/PROJECTION, profiles corrected for the vignetting effects and for the dead time can be also created. See section 4.3.4 for details.