Related papers: Observing Conditions for Submillimeter Astronomy
The area of Chajnantor, at more than 5000 meters altitude in northern Chile, offers unique atmospheric and operational conditions which arguably make it the best site in the world for millimeter, submillimeter, and mid-infrared…
For a systematic assessment of submillimeter observing conditions at different sites, we constructed tipping radiometers to measure the broad band atmospheric transparency in the window around 350 $\mu$m wavelength. The tippers were…
The summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii, the area near Cerro Chajnantor in Chile, and the South Pole are sites of large millimeter or submillimeter wavelength telescopes. We have placed 860 GHz sky brightness monitors at all three sites and…
Over the past few years a major effort has been put into the exploration of potential sites for the deployment of submillimetre astronomical facilities. Amongst the most important sites are Dome C and Dome A on the Antarctic Plateau, and…
With plans to build a large IR/optical telescope in the Atacama Desert, a site survey campaign has been underway since 1998 to characterize the optical seeing and the IR transparency in the Chajnantor Plateau region. Preliminary results…
The region surrounding the Llano de Chajnantor, a high altitude plateau in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, has caught the attention of the astronomical community for its potential as an observatory site. Combining high elevation and…
Thanks to the first mm studies on the territory of the former USSR in the early 1960s and succeeding sub-mm measurements in the 1970s - early 1980s at wavelengths up to 0.34 mm, a completely unique astroclimate was revealed in the Eastern…
Antarctica provides a unique environment for astronomy. The cold, dry and stable air found above the high plateau, as well as the pure ice below, offers new opportunities across the photon & particle spectrum. The summits of the plateau…
The Atacama Large Millimeter-submillimeter Array (ALMA), sited on the high desert plains of Chajnantor in Chile, has opened a new window onto solar physics in 2016 by providing continuum observations at millimeter and sub-millimeter…
The low infrared background and high atmospheric transparency are the principal advantages of Antarctic Plateau sites for astronomy. However, the poor seeing (between one and three arcseconds) negates much of the sensitivity improvements…
We discuss properties of the atmospheric water vapor above the high Andean plateau region known as the Llano de Chajnantor, in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. A combination of radiometric and radiosonde measurements indicate that the…
Preliminary site testing datasets suggest that Dome C in Antarctica is one of the best sites on Earth for astronomical observations in the 200 to 500 micron regime, i.e. for far-infrared (FIR) and submillimetre (submm) astronomy. We present…
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is the premier telescope for sensitive, high-resolution observations at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths. The array consists of fifty 12-m diameter antennas that can be…
CCAT will be a 25-meter telescope for sub millimeter astronomy located at 5600m altitude on Cerro Chajnantor in northern Chile. CCAT will combine high sensitivity, a wide field of view, and a broad wavelength range (0.35 to 2.1mm) to…
During the past decade, a year-round observatory has been established at the geographic South Pole by the Center for Astrophysical Research in Antarctica (CARA). CARA has fielded several millimeter- and submillimeter-wave instruments:…
Maunakea is one of the world's primary sites for astronomical observing, with multiple telescopes operating over sub-millimeter to optical wavelengths. With its summit higher than 4200 meters above sea level, Maunakea is an ideal location…
The most important limitation for ground-based submillimetre (submm) astronomy is the broad-band absorption of the total water vapour in the atmosphere above an observation site, often expressed as the Precipitable Water Vapour (PWV). A…
Context. Interest in the use of the Chajnantor area for millimeter and submillimeter astronomy is increasing because of its excellent atmospheric conditions. Knowing the general site annual variability in precipitable water vapor (PWV) can…
We set out to evaluate the potential of the Colombian Andes for millimeter-wave astronomical observations. Previous studies for astronomical site testing in this region have suggested that nighttime humidity and cloud cover conditions make…
Antarctica offers unique conditions for ground-based observations, such as low sky background in the infrared, improved seeing, and low turbulence and scintillation noise. These properties are particularly beneficial to imaging, precision…