The Science Case for PILOT I: Summary and Overview
Abstract
PILOT (the Pathfinder for an International Large Optical Telescope) is a proposed 2.5 m optical/infrared telescope to be located at Dome C on the Antarctic plateau. Conditions at Dome C are known to be exceptional for astronomy. The seeing (above ~30 m height), coherence time, and isoplanatic angle are all twice s good as at typical mid-latitude sites, while the water-vapour column, and the atmosphere and telescope thermal emission are all an order of magnitude better. These conditions enable a unique scientific capability for PILOT, which is addressed in this series of papers. The current paper presents an overview of the optical and instrumentation suite for PILO and its expected performance, a summary of the key science goals and observational approach for the facility, a discussion of the synergies between the science goals for PILOT and other telescopes, and a discussion of the future of Antarctic astronomy. Paper II and Paper III present details of the science projects divided, respectively, between the distant Universe (i.e., studies of first light, and the assembly and evolution of structure) and the nearby Universe (i.e., studies of Local Group galaxies, the Milky Way, and the Solar System).
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.0905.4432,
title = {The Science Case for PILOT I: Summary and Overview},
author = {J. S. Lawrence and M. C. B. Ashley and J. Bailey and D. Barrado y Navascues and T. Bedding and J. Bland-Hawthorn and I. Bond and F. Boulanger and R. Bouwens and H. Bruntt and A. Bunker and D. Burgarella and M. G. Burton and M. Busso and D. Coward and M. -R. Cioni and G. Durand and C. Eiroa and N. Epchtein and N. Gehrels and P. Gillingham and K. Glazebrook and R. Haynes and L. Kiss and P. O. Lagage and T. Le Bertre and C. Mackay and J. P. Maillard and A. McGrath and V. Minier and A. Mora and K. Olsen and P. Persi and K. Pimbblet and R. Quimby and W. Saunders and B. Schmidt and D. Stello and J. W. V. Storey and C. Tinney and P. Tremblin and J. C. Wheeler and P. Yoc},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0905.4432},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
19 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in PASA