AHEAD Meeting, Roma 9-10 February 2009 NA4: Co-ordination of Earth-based observations to support and complement space missions José M. Torrejón (UA)

AHEAD Meeting, Roma 9-10 February 2009 General Goal At least three projects within AHEAD (5, 9, 10) have stated specifically their multiwavelength interests. Others within the collaboration could (and should) benefit as well from this approach. General goal: engage high energy groups in multiwavelength strategy

AHEAD Meeting, Roma 9-10 February 2009 Caveats XMM/VLT joint observation programme is heavily undersubscribed on both ESA and ESO sides. According to the Mid Term Review report (September 2007) from OPTICON, the NA4 ‘Ground - Space Synergy’ did not achieve fully its goal… Clear indications that getting involved in other energy ranges is not straightforward at all.

AHEAD Meeting, Roma 9-10 February 2009 General Goals of NA4 Goal 1: Address this issue: why this Space-Ground synergy is difficult to achieve and how to improve it. Key to improve European Astronomy. Goal 2: Engage the HEA community (starting within AHEAD) actively into the multiwavelength strategy To this end we propose the following

AHEAD Meeting, Roma 9-10 February 2009 Actions Action 1: Organise a meeting(s) with the broader community to identify the problems and propose imaginative solutions. NA4 within AHEAD is the natural place to do it.

AHEAD Meeting, Roma 9-10 February 2009 Actions Action 2: Build a general archive with multiwavelength observations of our programme X-ray sources. Data homogeneous, screened and final For a given source, specify what we have but also what would be needed. V.O. for broader community. Our archive, thinking on the HEA community.

AHEAD Meeting, Roma 9-10 February 2009 Actions Action 3: Establish a team of experts in the use of specific ground facilities to support and advice HEA –Scientifically: to prepare proposals to ground facilities matching the X-ray goals –Technically: best instrument If the required instrumentation does not exist yet, release a report to the corresponding agency

AHEAD Meeting, Roma 9-10 February 2009 Actions Action 4: Coordinate joint proposals for ground based observatories: two separate (and different) X-ray observations could benefit from the same ground observation.

AHEAD Meeting, Roma 9-10 February 2009 Actions Action 5: Organise schools for young astronomers focused on multiwavelength research (in connection with NA6 and NA7)

AHEAD Meeting, Roma 9-10 February 2009 Actions Action 6: Exchange of students (whose PhD is mainly focused on high energy) to acquire specific optical, IR, radio… skills at centres of the AHEAD consortium (in connection with NA5) –Spread the multiwavelength engagement of the groups through students

AHEAD Meeting, Roma 9-10 February 2009 Conclusions Fact: Synergy between Space and Ground difficult to achieve. In view of this, we will pursue the following general goals: 1.To address this issue (key for European astronomy) 2. Engage our X-ray only community in multiwavelength strategies Through the following actions: 1.Organise a dedicated meeting(s) to identify the causes of the Space- Ground ‘dichotomy’ and solutions 2.Multiwavelength standard archive with clean ready-to-use products, including also what is needed for each source. 3.Team of experts in the use of ground based facilities to provide scientific and ‘technical’ advice to X-ray astronomers for their proposals 4.Coordinate joint proposals of different X-ray teams to ‘share’ the same ground observation 5.Schools for young astronomers focused on multiwavelength strategies 6.Exchange of PhD students to acquire skills in other energy ranges