| Announcement and rationale
This 2nd Conference, sponsored by the ARENA network, is essentially
dedicated to identify and consolidate the best science cases that
would motivate the implementation of a world class astronomical
observatory in Antarctica based at the CONCORDIA station on Dome C.
Dome C is the only European station in the Antarctic inland
operating all year round since 2005.
Dome C likely offers unique ground-based atmospheric conditions
to achieve astronomical observations that would normally only be
possible in space. It also represents an outstanding follow-up
platform for several major space missions of the 21st century .
The conference will emphasize the scientific areas of
astrophysics in which Antarctic conditions would provide unique new
data not otherwise obtainable neither from ground nor space. Major
features that may make Dome C unique for astronomical observations
include
i) the high infrared and submillimetre transmission, the low
background emission, and high stability of the cold atmosphere.
ii) the uninterrupted 4-month long night, without polar lights
iii) the excellent seeing conditions above a thin turbulent layer
iv) quasi infinite flat space to deploy giant telescope arrays.
Observational programs that benefit from one or several of
these features will be reviewed in a number of invited talks.
Invited speakers
are supposed to outline convincing science cases and specify
which telescopes and instruments would be needed to reach
their goals. Each talk will be followed by an intense discusion.
Contributed talks along the same lines will also be accepted
and short abstracts are solicited in the registration form.
The SOC will select on the order of half a dozen
contributed talks, the remaining papers can be shown as posters.
All reasonable contributions will be published in a Proceedings
book by Elsevier (suggested editors Epchtein, Rauer, Zinnecker),
similar to the Proceedings of the ARENA-1 conference in Roscoff.
Invited talks should be 10 pages, conntributed 4 pages, posters
2 pages (the actual lengths of contributions is still under
discussion). The price of the Proceedings is included in the
registration fee.
Among the hottest topics that would probably be investigated in
optimized conditions in the Antarctic environment are the following:
| i) |
the quest of exo-planets (exo-Earths)
using already tested techniques such as high-precision optical photometry,
gravitational microlensing, coronography, and infrared interferometry. |
| ii) |
the internal structure of stars (asteroseismology)
and long time-series of stellar activity
(follow-up of forthcoming COROT and Kepler results) |
| iii) |
deep, high-angular-resolution wide-field surveys
in new windows (from 3 to 300 micron, with an emphasis on innaccessible or difficult windows from the ground:
K-dark, L, M, N bands; 6-8; 30-40; 250-350 micron ranges) both for galactic and extragalactic science cases,
such as new studies of star formation regions and high-z galaxies. |
| iv) |
young stellar populations surveys in Local Group galaxies,
including the Magellanic Clouds, ideal for observations from
Dome C in Antarctica (e.g. higher spatial resolution follow-up
surveys of Spitzer SAGE legacy LMC/SMC data, now published). |
| v) |
new cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments |
Surely, this list of topics is incomplete and we call on the
bright ideas of the community that we (the SOC) have overlooked.
A preliminary programme has been put on the ARENA-2 website above.
Generally speaking, all proposers of science cases are encouraged
to work out their ideas in some detail (required sensitivities, angular
resolution, sky coverage, etc) and put them into the context of
existing and future facilities (Spitzer, COROT, Herschel, JWST, DARWIN,
and ELTs). The most important goal of the conference is to determine
and perhaps even agree on the few top science cases that there may be.
A secondary goal is to discuss whether each top science case at Dome C
needs its own telescope or whether we want an all-purpose telescope.
Ultimately, we would like to better define the directions ("roadmap")
the ARENA consortium should head for, in preparation of the synthesis
of its work programme that will constitute the matter of the third
and final ARENA conference held in 2008 in Italy.
Finally, we offer - for the sake of helping to ask the right questions
for the ARENA-2 science programme - the "ASTRONET Science Vision" themes
as condensed from the ASTRONET European white book recently published:
- Do we understand the extremes of the universe?
- what is dark matter and dark energy
- can we observe strong gravity in action
- how do supernovae and gamma-ray bursts work
- how BH accretion, jets, and outflows
- How do galaxies form and evolve?
- how did structure of the cosmic web evolve
- where are the metals f(cosmic time)
- how were galaxies assembled
- how did our Galaxy form
- What is the origin and evolution of stars and planets?
- How do stars form (IMF)
- life cycle of ISM and stars
- how do planetary systems form and evolve
- demographics of planets in our Galaxy
- How do we fit in?
- solar physics (oscillations)
- solar activity impact on earth
- dynamical history of solar system
- additional life in the solar system
One approach would be to discuss these questions with an eye
of whether telescopes at Dome C could help answering them ...
PS.
If you have any comments or complaints, please write to the
chairman of the SOC (hzinnecker@aip.de) who will bring them
to the attention of the other SOC members for wider discussion.
We hope to see many of you in beautiful Potsdam in mid-September.
Potsdam is only a 20 min convenient fast train ride from central
Berlin, particularly from the Mercure hotel (very near the Potsdam
Hauptbahnhof) where most of you should find your accommodation,
and we plan two exciting evening excursions to the capital city.
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