Related papers: The Nordic Optical Telescope
LOFAR is a groundbreaking low-frequency radio telescope currently nearing completion across northern europe. As a software telescope with no moving parts, enormous fields of view and multi-beaming, it has fantastic potential for the…
The previous generation of astronomical instruments tended to consist of single receivers in the focal point of one or more physical reflectors. Because of this, most astronomical data sets were small enough that the raw data could easily…
This is a (very) personal attempt to summarize the status of neutrino astronomy: its scientific motivations, our understanding of natural water and ice as particle detectors and, finally, the detector technology.
The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) will be a discovery machine for the astronomy and physics communities, revealing astrophysical phenomena from the Solar System to the outer reaches of the observable Universe. While many…
The Near Earth Object Surveillance Satellite (NEOSSat) is a Canadian-led 15 cm Earth-orbiting telescope originally designed to detect asteroids near the Sun. Its design is however also suitable for the observation of exoplanetary transits…
Neutrino astronomy is on the verge of discovering new sources, and this will lead to important advances in astrophysics, cosmology, particle physics, and nuclear physics. This paper is meant for non-experts, so that they might better…
We describe present and future capabilities of the Mid-Scale Observatories (MSO) of the new national center merging NOAO, Gemini Observatory and LSST Operations. MSO is comprised of Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory (CTIO) and the Kitt…
The observation of high energy cosmic neutrinos can shed light on the astrophysical sites and mechanisms involved in the acceleration of protons and nuclei to the high energies observed at Earth by cosmic ray detectors. More generally, high…
Science opportunities and recommendations concerning optical/infrared polarimetry for the upcoming decade in the field of extragalactic astrophysics. Community-based White Paper to Astro2010 in response to the call for such papers.
The Calar Alto Observatory, located at 2168m height above the sea level in continental Europe, holds a significant number of astronomical telescopes and experiments, covering a large range of the electromagnetic domain, from gamma-ray to…
Einstein Telescope (ET) is a possible third generation ground-based gravitational wave observatory for which a design study is currently being carried out. A brief (and non-exhaustive) overview is given of ET's projected capabilities…
The Virtual Observatory (VO) is an international attempt to collect astronomical data (images, simulation, mission-logs, etc), organize it and develop tools that let astronomers access this huge amount of information. The VO not only…
Since its emergence two decades ago, astrophotonics has found broad application in scientific instruments at many institutions worldwide. The case for astrophotonics becomes more compelling as telescopes push for AO-assisted,…
From the scientific objectives of the Next Generation Space Telescope, this paper tries to constrain the design of the NGST Multi-Object Spectrograph. Several technical alternatives are presented that could address the requirements of the…
Studies of the physical properties of Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs) are a powerful probe into the processes of planetesimal formation and solar system evolution. JWST will provide unique new capabilities for such studies. Here we outline…
Einstein gravitational-wave Telescope (ET) is a design study funded by the European Commission to explore the technological challenges of and scientific benefits from building a third generation gravitational wave detector. The three-year…
The European Solar Telescope (EST) is a project of a new-generation solar telescope. It has a large aperture of 4~m, which is necessary for achieving high spatial and temporal resolution. The high polarimetric sensitivity of the EST will…
The Origins Space Telescope (OST) will transform our understanding of the Universe, from formation of the earliest galaxies to the creation of habitable worlds. OST's Mission Concept 1, the subject of this report, features a cold (4 K)…
The approach of Observational Astronomy is mainly aimed at the construction of larger aperture telescopes, more sensitive detectors and broader wavelength coverage. Certainly fruitful, this approach turns out to be not completely fulfilling…
The quest to understand the nature dark matter is one of the most relevant ones in Particle Physics nowadays, since it constitutes most of the matter of the Universe and it is still unknown what it is made of. In order to answer to this…