The Antarctic plateau offers unique conditions for observational astronomy, from the optical, near- and thermal-infrared, millimetre, to microwave wavelength range. Site testing at the Franco-Italian Concordia station on Dome C has demonstrated the extreme cold, dryness, low wind speed, and low sky background emission, along with a very high fraction of clear skies and a median optical seeing above the ground layer of 0.4 arcsec FWHM, dropping to as low as 0.15 arcsec for several hours in each 24 hour period (Lawrence et al 2004; Aristidi et al 2005; Agabi et al 2005).
As a consequence of these excellent site characteristics, the European Commission has recently funded ARENA, a 3 year co-ordination activity involving scientists from seven European countries and Australia, aimed at developing the scientific, technical, and logistical case for future large astronomical facilities on Dome C.
In this context, we announce a workshop focused on the potential for wide-field imaging on Dome C, in the optical, near-, and thermal-infrared. The workshop will cover the following topics:
(i) A brief review of the current status of astronomical site testing on Dome C;
(ii) An overview of the infrastructure and logistical support available at the Concordia station and how these are factored into the development of astronomical facilities in the 2-4 metre diameter range
(iii) A detailed discussion of the science drivers for wide-field imaging projects on Dome C, their complementarity with present and future ground- and space-based facilities, and the identification of potentially unique Dome C cases. Topics to be covered will include:
* Wide-field, long time baseline monitoring projects to search for extrasolar planets via microlensing and transits, and to conduct asteroseismology
* Large-scale surveys covering galactic and Magellanic Cloud star formation, high-z supernovae, cosmic shear, and supernova remnants
(iv) Panel discussions aimed at developing a joint strategy for the near-term (3-7 years) implementation of wide-field imaging facilities for Dome C.
The program will include both contributed talks and poster presentations. Participation is limited to roughly 50, in order to ensure an appropriate workshop atmosphere, and the meeting is open to both ARENA and non-ARENA scientists.
Please let us know as soon as possible if you aim to attend the meeting along with a brief outline of your proposed contribution, in order to assist us in drawing up the workshop program.
Registration and other information can be found at: http://wf-antarctica.in2p3.fr/
Deadline for submission of abstracts : May 1, 2006
Deadline for registrations : May 15, 2006