XMM-Newton data reprocessing and creation of the 2XMM X-ray Catalog

The XMM-Newton Survey Science Centre (XMMSSC) is carrying out a major exercise to re-process all XMM-Newton science data collected since the launch of XMM in late 1999, with the aim of providing a high-quality and uniform set of high-level science data products for the XMM-Newton Science Archive (XSA). In parallel, the reprocessing products are being used to create the 2XMM catalog of X-ray sources that were serendipitously detected in the XMM EPIC X-ray images. The 2XMM catalog will constitute the largest X-ray source catalog ever produced, and will be a major resource for a wide range of astrophysical projects. The reprocessing exercise, which will include more than 5000 separate XMM observations taken over a period of more than 6 years, is currently underway and is expected to be complete by the end of 2006.