European Antarctic Astronomy
Experience from ARENA
Nicolas Epchtein
CNRS/LUAN/UNSA
coordonnateur
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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Dome F
CHILE
Dome A
• South Pole
Dome C
M. Zucchelli (It)
Dumont d’Urville
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Dome C data
Good to exceptional seeing
geographic
coordinate
Lat. 75° 06’ 06” S;
Long. 123° 23’ 42”E
Altitude
3.233 m
ice
3.213 m
0.54
Summer av. temp. : - 25°C
temperature
Winter av. temp:- 60 °C
min.= -80°C
average wind
speed
snow
3-20 m/sec
2-10 cm/year
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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..)
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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)
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Budget shares
9 per
country
ARENA is
• 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’
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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
 Italy
– Belgium
 INAF: Arcetri, Teramo, IASF,
Roma, INFN, Pavia, Padova
(Candidi)
 U. Perugia (Busso)
PNRA (Cucinotta)
• IAG Liège (Surdej)
• AMOS, Liège (Chisogne)
– France
• CNRS (coordinator, Epchtein):
OCA, OAMP-Marseilles, LAOGGrenoble, CRAL-Lyons, IAP
• Paris Observatory (Bensammar)
• CEA /SAp(Lagage)
• IPEV, Brest (Jugie)
• SESO, Aubagne (Fappani)
• SHAKTIWARE (Rabaud)
– Germany
•
•
•
•
Portugal
University of Porto (Garcia)
 Spain
University of Granada (Abia)
ICEE Barcelone (Isern)
IAC Tenerife (Martin)
 UK
IAP, Potsdam (Strassmeier)
MPIA -Heidelberg (Henning)
DLR, Berlin (Rauer)
ESO, Garching (Melnick)
University
of,Exeter(McCaughrean)
 Australia
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UNSW (Storey)
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Structure of the ARENA PoW:
‘Networking activities’ (NAs)
•
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
Budget shares per NA
NA5-Astrophysics (optical/IR) key programs
•
18 tasks + 4 management tasks
–
(see: http://arena.unice.fr)
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Coordinator
N. Epchtein
J. B. Daban
Project manager
E. Fossat
M.-L. Peronne
J. Vernin
M. Adrian-Scotto
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 qualification
leader: 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,
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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)
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–
–
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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
JRA and transnational access)
(net,
• 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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The Dome C Astronomical pathfinder
• 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
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