Surveys provide a wealth of data to the astronomical community that are used well after their completion. In this paper, we propose a project that would take the maximum benefit of Dome C in Antarctica by performing two surveys, in the wavelength range from 1-5 micron, complementary to SNAP space surveys. The first one over 1000 sq. deg. (1 KdF) for 4 years and the second one over 15 sq. deg (SNAP-IR) for the next 4 years at the same time as SNAP 0.35-1.7 microns survey. By using a Ground-Layer Adaptive Optics system, we would be able to recover, at the ice level and over at least half a degree in radius, the 300 mas angular resolution available above the 30-m high turbulent layer. Such a survey, combining a high angular resolution with high sensitivities in the NIR and MIR, should also play the role of a pre-survey for JWST and ALMA.
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/0611556,
title = {Wide Field Astronomy at Dome C: two IR surveys complementary to SNAP},
author = {D. Burgarella and M. Ferrari and T. Fusco and M. Langlois and B. Leroux and G. Moretto and M. Nicole},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/0611556},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
Invited contribution to the 1st ARENA Conference on "Large Astronomical Infrastructures at CONCORDIA, prospects and constraints for Antarctic optical/IR Astronomy": 8 pages, 5 Postscript figures