The first suite of instruments and associated science cases for a larger facilityat Dome C are mainly targeted towards imaging and surveys.While the potential advantages for astronomical observations fromAntarctica are applicable to both imaging and spectroscopy,spectrographs are more complex to build and harder to use in afully automatic and remote operation.However, the innovative technique of 3D-Spectroscopy (3DS) offersimaging and spectroscopic capabilities simultaneously withapplications to a wide range of astronomical programmes.Furthermore, 3DS provides several operational benefits, that are well suited for a location such as Antarctica.

PILOT is proposed as a partnership between Australia and Europe todevelop a 2.4 m optical/infrared telescope for Dome C,Antarctica. Funding for a detailed designed study is being soughtfrom Australian sources, with a view to commencing construction inearly 2008. The current “strawman” design is for an f/10 dualNasmyth configuration with provision for both a silicon carbide fasttip-tilt secondary mirror for the thermal infrared, and an adaptivesecondary mirror to achieve diffraction-limited imaging atwavelengths as short as V-band.



We present a design concept for WHAT – the Wide-field AntarcticHorizontal Telescope – to take advantage of the unique possibilitiesof Antarctica for both optical and near infrared astronomy. The designis an 8 metre, wide-field, fixed-axis, all-reflective, f/4 Schmidttelescope. Prime and Cassegrain (or Gregorian) foci are provided, giving plate scales150-1500 µm/'', over fields of view 3'-3°. Diffraction limited,NGSAO-corrected Kdark images are possible over arc-minute sizedfields, over most of the sky. The sensitivity, resolution, fieldof view and cost all compare favourably with current or proposed spaceor ground-based telescopes.

To take advantage of the exceptional seeing above the boundary layeron Antarctic sites, a high-resolution telescope must be mounted on asupport tower. An open transparent tower of framework minimizes theupward temperature-disturbed airflow. A typical minimum height is30 m. The tower platform has to be extremely stable againstwind-induced rotational motions, which have to be less thanfractions of an arc second, unusually small from a mechanicalengineering viewpoint. In a traditional structure, structuraldeflections result in angular deflections of the telescope platform,which introduce tip and tilt motions in the telescope. However, astructure that is designed to deflect with parallel motion relativeto the horizontal plane will undergo solely translation deflectionsin the telescope platform and thus will not degrade the image. Theuse of a parallel motion structure has been effectively demonstratedin the design of the 15-m tower for the Dutch Open Telescope (DOT)on La Palma. Special framework geometries are developed, which makeit possible to construct high towers in stories having platformswith extreme stability against wind-induced tilt. These geometricsolutions lead to constructions, being no more massive than a normalsteel framework carrying the same load. Consequently, theselightweight towers are well suited to difficult sites as onAntarctica. A geometry with 4 stories has been worked out.

The installation and operation of an ELT and the associated astronomical instruments requires considering the reliability aspects (the ability to work satisfactorily for a specified time under given environmental conditions) and the maintenance/maintainability aspects from the beginning of an ELT/instrument project.In particular, for equipment working in the extreme antarctic environment the reliability and maintainability characteristics are the main factors influencing, i)the availability of the equipment for the scientific research activities, and ii) the annual and the long term operation costs (Life Cycle Costs, LCC).These characteristics have to be designed and built into the equipment.The presentation describes the general strategy to be followed, the main activities to be done, and the decisions to be taken during the individual project phases from the identification of the user needs to the installation, commissioning and operation in order to guarantee high equipment availability and optimized maintenance effort and costs.

Seeing quality in Antarctica is in the hundredth arcseconds rangeout of the boundary layer. To take advantage of this qualitytelescopes should be in thermal equilibrium with the outsideenvironment and should minimize the non linearity's like limitcycles which will deteriorate tracking. At the ESO Very LargeTelescope (VLT) 8 m telescopes this is realized using oil bearingsand direct drives on the axes to avoid slip stick effects on themotion. In Antarctica this could be realized using magneticbearings, possibly combined with motors, on the axes, with alsoadvantages concerning power consumptions and maintenance of thesystem.

This paper is a brief introduction to optical-infrared interferometry in the context of Dome C. It presents the current status of the field to discuss how Dome C can play a role in the overall context of ground-based interferometry. Some figures of merit which are relevant to interferometry are derived and a discussion of the potential of Dome C is proposed. The site offers fantastic perspectives but some important issues need to be tackled to come up with a decision for future large facilities.

The recent site testing pointed out the potential of Dome C for NextGeneration Optical Interferometer. KEOPS (Kilo parsec ExplorerOptical Planet Search) is proposed in a context which alsoconsidere the post VLTI perspectives. Thisinterferometer will be composed of 36 telescopes with a maximalbaseline of 1 km. This instrument will open new horizons: stellarimaging, circumstellar environment studies, extra solar planet detection, Earthlike planet search. The possibility of observations in doublefield mode takes advantage of the large isopistonic angle to give acces tofaint object (see Elhalkouj 2006). It allows active galactic nuclei and cosmological observations.The achievement of that project implies different steps. The firstone could be MYKERINOS, proposed by LUAN. This prototypeinterferometer, composed to 3 telescopes of 40 cm, demonstrate technological feasibility, complete the specific sitecharacterisation and contribute to validate the scientific program objectives.

We present a brief summary of past Network and Joint ResearchActivities of the European Interferometry InitiativeConsortiumin FP6 within OPTICON, of a Marie Curie exchange and educationproject within the EU program and of planned activities in FP7.

The search for earth-like planets around solar analogs, and their spectroscopic characterization, is one of the major endeavors of astronomy for the next decades. This long term program that will ultimately require dedicated space missions can be supported by facilities taking advantage of the exceptional qualities of the Antarctic plateau for astronomical observations requiring a combination of high angular resolution and very high dynamic range. A medium scale pathfinder mission would fit both on the roadmap for Darwin and towards the preparation of a future kilometric imaging array in Antarctica. 


SOFIA is a stratospheric observatory for far-infrared astronomy. Its 3 m-class telescope has been designed to operate throughout the optical and infrared waveband on board a Boeing 747SP at temperatures as low as –50 degree C and at elevations up to 41 000 feet. It conforms to a level of reliability and safety well above usual observatory standards. The main design characteristics of the telescope will be discussed in the context of the antarctic environment. Important features of the telescope technology are also applicable to remotely operated arctic telescopes.

Submillimetre/TeraHertz (e.g. 200, 350, 450 μm) astronomy is the prime technique to unveil the birth and early evolution of a broad range of astrophysical objects. A major obstacle to carry out submm observations from ground is the atmosphere. Preliminary site testing and atmospheric transmission models tend to demonstrate that Dome C could offer the best conditions on Earth for submm/THz astronomy. The CAMISTIC project aims to install a filled bolometer-array camera with 16×16 pixels on IRAIT at Dome C and explore the 200-μm windows for potential ground-based observations.

AST/RO spent over a decade at the South Pole, observing submillimetre-waveemission from the interstellar medium. We outline some of the lessons learned and experience gained that may be relevant to futureAntarctic projects. Small submillimetre-wave telescopes, on the excellent sites provided by the Antarctic plateau, have verystrong large-area mapping capabilities, together with the potentialfor ground-based THz observations. Highlighted technical aspects include AST/RO's lack of icing problems and availability of warm space.

The Antarctic Plateau provides thebest terrestrial astronomical observing conditions across the Mid-InfraRed (MIR) and submillimeter wavebands due to its remarkable atmospheric transparency and stability. The opening of Concordia Station at Dome C is now offering a unique opportunity to the international submm astronomical community to perform ground-breaking astronomical science.To take advantage of these unique conditions, we are proposing the realization of an international Antarctic Submillimeter Observatory (ASO) based on the ALMA antenna prototype, to carry out both continuum and spectral line observations, across the MIR and submm wavebands. The telescope would be able to operate in the MIR using the innermost surface (2-4 m in diameter) of the primary reflector, which would be accurate enough to operateat wavelengths as short as ~5 micron.

We present the results of the first light of CORONA obtained during the summer campaign 2005 at Dome C. The CORONA experiment uses an automated 14'' antarctized telescope for its remote operation from the Concordia station. The instrument includes an Achromatized Phase Knife Coronagraph (APKC) with no tip-tilt correction. The high contrast long exposure is obtained from image selection among raw short exposures.

The experience of university-level teaching of “Antarctic Astronomy” is recounted and provides lessons for the research enterprise.

I present a personal summary of the first ARENA conference on the prospects of building large astronomical infrastructures at the Concordia station in Antarctica, and my view on our progress to date in achieving this goal. Inparticular, I discuss the basic scientific, technical, and political conditions which I believe must be satisfied in order to develop a world-classinternational astronomical facility at Concordia.