ESA’s Athena Science Study Team (ASST) and ESO have decided to explore the synergies between the Athena X-ray observatory mission and forefront ground-based optical/near-infrared and sub/millimetre observatories. These include ESO’s E-ELT and VLT as well as other 8-10m class telescopes on the one hand, and ALMA and other sub/mm interferometers and single-dish telescopes on the other hand. All of these facilities, among others, will be dominant elements of the observational landscape by the time that Athena flies.

Scientific synergies among different observational facilities come in different flavours. Achieving the Athena science objectives may need ancillary data from other facilities and likewise other facilities may need Athena observations to complement their data. In addition, added-value science will be achieved by putting together observations obtained with more than one of these facilities together, benefiting the overall science output.

An ESO-Athena Synergy Team (EAST), consisting of experts covering X-ray, optical/NIR and sub/mm observational wavelengths, has been appointed with the charge of delivering two Synergy White Papers identifying and developing synergies between Athena and Optical/NIR facilities and Athena and sub/mm facilities. The team is composed by F. Combes (OPM), M. Díaz-Trigo (ESO), S. Ettori (INAF/OABO), E. Hatziminaoglou (ESO), P. Jonker (SRON), P. Padovani (ESO, chair), M. Salvato (MPE) and S. Viti (UCL).

The EAST kicked-off its activities in March 2016 by identifying a list of synergy areas for the two White Papers, by preparing an ESO-Athena Synergy Workshop that will bring in essential community input to the process, and by identifying the participants from the community developing the specific synergy themes. The workshop will be hosted by ESO in Garching (Germany) on 14-16 September 2016 and will address this programme.

The expectation is that the EAST will deliver the two ESO-Athena Synergy papers by 

March 2017.

Support for this process has been provided by ESO, MPE, ESA and the Athena Community Office.