Date: 5 February 2009
Participants: Vadim Burwitz (VB), Matteo Guainazzi (MG), Frank Haberl (FH),
	      Herman Marshall (HM), Jukka Nevalainen (JN), Paul Plucinski (PP),
	      Andy Pollock (AP)


1) Goals of the Working Groups for IACHEC#4

* Effective areas, response matrices and energy calibrations (HM)

 Two talks are likely to be presented:

* status of the PKS2155-304 campaign
* specific XMM-Newton/Chandra cross-calibration (M.Smith to get in contact
  with HM to define the abstract of the presentation)

 HM considers unlikely that a draft of the PKS2155-304 paper will be ready
before the IACHEC#4. However, it can be expected that good progress on
this paper will be made during the meeting.

 Recently a large multi-observatory campaign on AXP1E1547.0-5408 has been
performed, covering basically all operational observatories. Under initiative
of P.Kretschmar (PK; INTEGRAL/ESAC) a coordinated effort has started to
study these data in a cross-calibration perspective. HM will contact
PK at some point to check whether results could be presented at the IACHEC
on this campaign. As the intrinsic physical model of this class of sources is
largely unknown, it remains unclear how these observations can indeed be
used as a "standard candle"


* High-resolution (AP)

 The goal for the IACHEC#4 will be to compile a complete list of all the
emission lines in the X-ray spectrum of Capella.


* Timing

 No report


* White Dwarfs (VB)

 Two main topics will be covered at IACHEC#4:

* J.Kaastra's paper comparing different atmospheric models
* results of the observation of Sirius B performed last June (after a
  first failed attempt)

 In the meanwhile, a Chandra LETG GT proposal will be submitted to observe
GD153. This target is regularly observed by XMM-Newton, but its temperature
(~37000 K) is too low for a good signal to be detectable in the XMM-Newton
X-ray cameras (indeed, these observations are used with EPIC filter CAL_CLOSED)


* Isolated Neutron Stars (FH)

 FH will shortly contact the Working Group members to agree on what can be
presented at the IACHEC#4.


* Thermal SNR (PP)

 Main news after the last WG teleconference:

* application of the new Chandra effective area
* A.Pollock suggestion for a change in the spectral model following some
  fundamental RGS work

 At the IACHEC#4 it is expected to present the status of the analysis,
including the new Chandra contamination model


* Non thermal SNR

 No report


* Clusters (JN)

 L.Davis is re-analyzing the Chandra data with the recently released
effective area. The paper is at an advanced stage; a draft will be circulated
shortly

 Topics which will be most likely presented at IACECH#4

- XMM-Newton/Chandra paper results
- general talk on clusters as calibration sources
- the usage of FeXXV/FeXXVI line intensity ratio as independent temperature
  estimates
- cluster analysis with Suzaku

 Clusters could be used also for the re-calibration of the Chandra
contamination.


2) AOB:

* MG will check that people from Astrosat got the IACHEC#4 announcement

* MG will contact G.Ghisellini/A.Celotti to see whether one of them would
  be interested to join IACHEC#4 as expert on blazars

* PP will contact R.Smith to check whether he will attend IACHEC#4.
  Emission mechanisms of SNR, IXO and high-resolution WG could be the
  main area of his involvement.

* The program should include a splinter meeting on how to model the CTI,
  as small differences in methodology exist among different missions.

* Next meeting (probably the last before IACHEC#4) will be held around
  the end of March