Physics
Scientific paper
Sep 1998
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1998aas...192.4809h&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, 192nd AAS Meeting, #48.09; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 30, p.1151
Physics
Scientific paper
The Antarctic Plateau is the coldest, driest place on earth. Instruments deployed there enjoy unique advantages for observations requiring (1) the lowest possible thermal background emission, (2) the high transparency and extreme stablity of the Antarctic atmosphere at wavelengths sensitive to water vapor absorption, or (3) continuous access to the polar sky. The Center for Astrophysical Research in Antarctica (CARA) was formed in 1991 to establish observatory at the South Pole and to pursue a set of research projects which can exploit the unique advantages of the site. The projects are knit together by overlapping scientific questions being approached with instruments sensitive to wavelengths from one micron to one millimeter; by the logistical aspects of running a common observatory at a remote site; and by a common type of experiment which places emphasis on large scale, uniform, high sensitivity observations. Center projects study the spatial structure of the cosmic microwave background, star and planet formation, galaxy structure and evolution, and the physics and chemistry of the interstellar medium. During the past seven years, CARA has established a year-round observatory at the South Pole; confirmed the transparency, darkness, and stability of the Antarctic sky; installed four major telescope facilities, and used them to conduct scientific investigations. Now, with facilities in place, with established methods of operating equipment in the antarctic environment, with a knowledge of the site characteristics in hand, and with a major modernization program underway at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, the potential of the South Pole site for astrophysical research is only beginning to be realized. Future instruments of exceptional resolution and sensitivity are possible and would provide a valuable complement to airborne and space-based telescopes which will be deployed during the first decades of the new century.
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