European Antarctic Astronomy

Experience from ARENA

Nicolas EpchteinCNRS/LUAN/UNSA

coordonnateur

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CONCORDIA a new promising astronomical site

• CONCORDIA is a French-Italian multidisciplinary Polar station located at Dome C on the Antarctic Plateau

• Originally dedicated to glaciology & paleoclimatology (EPICA)

• Astronomical site testing is in progress (LUAN+ UNSW) 1st winterover 2005 Very encouraging results

• Possible site for a future large observatory • Which astrophysics at Dome C ? • Which instruments and how to install them? • Roadmap of developments in astronomy

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• South Pole

Dome C

Dome F

Dome A

Dumont d’Urville

M. Zucchelli (It)

CHILE

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geographic coordinate

Lat. 75° 06’ 06” S;

Long. 123° 23’ 42”E

Altitude 3.233 m

ice 3.213 m

temperatureSummer av. temp. : - 25°C

Winter av. temp:- 60 °C

min.= -80°C

average wind speed

3-20 m/sec

snow 2-10 cm/year

Dome C data

0.54

Good to exceptional seeing

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Dome C astronomy pro & cons

• Antartica has exceptional site qualities:– Dry, cold, remote, little human polution– 3-month night– Very low sky background emission– Exceptional transmission in the IR, FIR and submm– Exceptional seeing conditions above ~ 30 m

• Although a several drawbacks– Rather difficult access; no wide band communications– Harsh working conditions; limited manpower available in

Winter; limited power supply– A limited fraction of the sky is accessible

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An increasing number of proposals at Dome C

• IRAIT: Infrared telescope:, Italy…• Large wide field telescopes:

– PILOT: project for a pathfinder > 2m optical/IR telescope (Australia)

– AMIDST: Deep WF thermal IR surveys, …

• Giant Telescopes: – Giant Magellan Telescope, (Angel et al.)– ELT on-ice!

• interferometric (OP, LUAN..) :– Precursors: Aladdin, Génie– KEOPS (km array, LUAN)

• Exoplanet detection: a-step, iceT …• Planetary seismology (Siamois)• (Sub)Millimeter/cosmology (Brain..)• Super DARN

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Coordination is needed! ARENA

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ARENA Antarctic Research a European Network for Astrophysics

• Research Infrastructures FP6• Coordinated action/networking

– Submitted: March 2005 – Approved: June, 2005– Started: Jan, 2006

• Budget : 1.335 M€ (incl. 20% overheads)• 21 partners (7 EU+ Australia)• 4 Networking Activities + management• Duration: 36 months (2006-2008)• Covers IPY (2007-9)

Budget shares per country

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• Not aimed at doing science, nor R&D • A framework for reflection

– on the long term utilisation of CONCORDIA in astrophysics at the European level (observatory of the future)

– Small scattered groups need to reach critical mass

– adding value to CONCORDIA station ‘Europeanization’

• To evaluate projects and make recommendations to the Polar Institutes, national agencies and the EC

• To prepare responses to forthcoming FP7 calls– ‘Design studies’– ‘New infrastructures’

ARENA is

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partners of the ARENA consortium

• 15 laboratories, Universities in 7 EU countries + Australia

• National Agencies: CNRS, INAF, IPEV,PNRA • ESO• Industrial partners: AMOS, SESO, Shaktiware• Involving more than 100 individuals • Totalizing: ~70 FTE• Project Officer @ EC: Elena Righi-Steele

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Partner countries– Belgium

• IAG Liège (Surdej)• AMOS, Liège (Chisogne)

– France • CNRS (coordinator, Epchtein):

OCA, OAMP-Marseilles, LAOG-Grenoble, CRAL-Lyons, IAP

• Paris Observatory (Bensammar)• CEA /SAp(Lagage)• IPEV, Brest (Jugie)• SESO, Aubagne (Fappani)• SHAKTIWARE (Rabaud)

– Germany • IAP, Potsdam (Strassmeier)• MPIA -Heidelberg (Henning)• DLR, Berlin (Rauer)• ESO, Garching (Melnick)

Italy INAF: Arcetri, Teramo, IASF, Roma, INFN, Pavia, Padova (Candidi) U. Perugia (Busso)PNRA (Cucinotta)

PortugalUniversity of Porto (Garcia)

Spain University of Granada (Abia)ICEE Barcelone (Isern)IAC Tenerife (Martin)

UK University of,Exeter(McCaughrean)

Australia UNSW (Storey)

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• 4 Activities + management:

NA1- Management NA2- Site quality assessment NA3- Polar constraints on Instruments NA4- Operations- logistics, requests to operators

and added value to CONCORDIA NA5-Astrophysics (optical/IR) key programs

• 18 tasks + 4 management tasks– (see: http://arena.unice.fr)

Structure of the ARENA PoW: ‘Networking activities’ (NAs)

Budget shares per NA

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Coordinator

N. Epchtein

Project manager

M.-L. Peronne

J. B. Daban E. Fossat

M. Adrian-ScottoJ. Vernin

J.-P. Swings

M. Candidi

H. Zinnecker

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Consortium management Committee

Scientific Advisory

Board

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Technical Committee

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NA2: Site qualificationleader: Jean Vernin (LUAN, Nice, France)

astronomical assessment of the site for optical/IR observations

• Task 2.1 Review of the critical parameters – (Cn2, seeing, Lo, Sky transmission, emission, airglow, cloud

coverage..)

• Task 2.2 Synthesis of observations at Dome C( database of parameters)

• Task 2.3 Modelling the site properties for science optimization (draw out consequences on astronomical programs)

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N A 3: Toward Large Astronomical Instruments in Antarctica

(leader: Jean-Pierre Swings; Liège, Be)

• Task 3.1 - Low emissivity Optical configuration for IR and HighDynamical Imaging in Antarctic conditions (R. Lenzen, MPIA, Heidelberg, De)

• Task 3.2 - Telescope and instrumentation robotization (K. Strassmeier, AI Potsdam, De)

• Task 3.3 - Focal instrumentation fo Antarctic telescopes (J.-P. Maillard, IAParis, Fr)

• Task 3.4 - IRAIT (telescope)(G. Tosti, Perugia, It)

• Task 3.5 - IRAIT instrumentation (O. Straniero, Teramo, It)

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NA4 an astronomical observatory of a new type (Leader, M. Candidi, INAF- Rome, Italy)

•Task 4.1 - construction and on site transportation of large instruments (P. Godon, IPEV, Brest,Fr)

•Task 4.2 - building and enclosures (C. Montanari, PNRA, Bologna, It)

•Task 4.3 - consumable requests and communications (Malagoli, PNRA, It)

•Task 4.4 - Training and human questions (Bachelard, IPEV, Fr)

•Task 4.5 - Environment preservation (Y. Frénot, IPEV, Fr)

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NA5: Which astrophysics at Dome C?

(Resp. Hans Zinnecker, IA Potsdam, Germany) •Task 5.1 Wide field imaging surveys in the thermal IR (M. Busso, Perugia, It/Mc Caughrean, Exeter, UK)

•Task 5.2 New windows in the far IR (P.O.Lagage, CEA, Fr)

•Task 5.3 Long duration time series photometry and spectroscopy (H. Rauer, DLR, Berlin, De)

•Hélio/asteroseismology (E. Fossat, LUAN, Nice, Fr)

•Search for extrasolar planets (H. Deeg, IAC, Tenerife, Sp)

•Solar stellar connection (K. Strassmeier, AIPotsdam, De)

•Task 5.4 Obtaining Ultimate angular resolution (F. Vakili, LUAN,Nice) JRA4 OPTICON

•Task 5.5 Spectroscopy and spectro-imagery (C.Abia, Granada, Sp)

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ARENA « miletsones & deliverables »

• Milestones– Conferences (1 per year) – Workshops (3-4 per year)– Meetings (ad libitum)

• Deliverables (some of them)

– Proceedings of 3 conferences– Presentations at wkshop. available on a Website– Site testing progress reports– Conclusions and recommendations to EC and agencies

in a final « white book »

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Agenda of 2006 activities

10-12 May: workshop on « interferometry » Nice (with

OPTICON JRA4)

14-16 June: workshop on Wide field astronomy Paris

(+OAP/OP/APC)

– 12-13 September: visit of IRAIT before leaving for DC

(Perugia) & workshop on « site testing » (tbc)

– 16-19 October 2006: Intl. Conference Roscoff (120

attendees) Organisers: IPEV/CNRS

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Agenda 2007 (provisional)

– Workshop on Asteroseismology (Tenerife) June?

– Workshop on Robotization (Potsdam) September ?

– Workshop on extragalactic astronomy at DC (Porto)

– 2nd Conference Potsdam (September 2007) science case

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TRAINING courses for ASTROPHYSICAL RESEARCH in ANTARCTICA (TARA)

• Proposal for a Marie Curie Training Course and Conferences submitted: May 17, 2006

• Young researchers/engineers training for astrophysical progammes at Dome C– Participation to ARENA events – 3 astrophysical schools – 1 school ‘Antarctic Engineering’

• Coordinator: P. Persi (IASF/INAF, Rome)

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Future of astronomy at Dome C

• optical site testing in progress (DIMM, Scidar, IR..) must proceed 2008

• IR- submm-mm, • Logistics, operation, communication, energy• Robotization (extra-cost)• Science case to be carefully evaluated

working group• Multidisciplinary aspect of Dome C• European station (ESO?) at CONCORDIA?

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Antarctic Astronomy in FP7 Proposals

• Either– propose to join a «renewed»-OPTICON (net,

JRA and transnational access)

• OR – create a new dedicated action of I3 type called

CONCORDIA a European multidsciplinary station • Specific JRAs in various fields

– Optical/IR/mm/submm astronomy <> OPTICON/RADIONET, etc…

– Atmospheric sciences– Polar engineering (energy, transportation,

environment)

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Other possible related FP7 actions

• a « new infrastructure project » (e.g. a pathfinder such as the PILOT project soon (2008) first light < 2014– 2.5 m off the shelf telescope + WF cameras for

visible and thermal IR (3-5.5 µm) – Science case in progress ‘workshop WF last

week)

• « Design studies » for an interferometric array and demonstrators (e.g. Aladdin) (workshop last month

• More to come at the Roscoff meeting

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• Participants and Roles in the planned activity: ARENA+ new partners (ESA? AlcatelAlenia?)

• Timescales: start design study 2007/8• Duration : 7 yrs• Cost of a pathfinder: [15 – 20] M€• Deliverables: telescope + 2 WF cameras (vis./IR)• Industrial Dimension: telescope + cameras+ data

processing + antartization• EU dimension : raise funding, ESO + EC+ 3 partners

(e.g. Aus., Fr.,It) + Polar Intitutes (3 to 4 M€ each)

• Management Structure tbd and Risk : high, tb shared

The Dome C Astronomical pathfinder