Abstract
Pre-HEAT is a 20 cm aperture submillimeter-wave telescope with a 660 GHz (450 micron) Schottky diode heterodyne receiver and digital FFT spectrometer for the Plateau Observatory (PLATO) developed by the University of New South Wales. In January 2008 it was deployed to Dome A, the summit of the Antarctic plateau, as part of a scientific traverse led by the Polar Research Institute of China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Dome A may be one of the best sites in the world for ground based Terahertz astronomy, based on the exceptionally cold, dry and stable conditions which prevail there. Pre-HEAT is measuring the 450 micron sky opacity at Dome A and mapping the Galactic Plane in the 13CO J=6-5 line, constituting the first submillimeter measurements from Dome A. It is field-testing many of the key technologies for its namesake - a successor mission called HEAT: the High Elevation Antarctic Terahertz telescope. Exciting prospects for submillimeter astronomy from Dome A and the status of Pre-HEAT will be presented.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Ground-based and airborne telescopes II |
Editors | Larry M. Stepp, Roberto Gilmozzi |
Place of Publication | Bellingham, Washington |
Publisher | SPIE |
Pages | 1-11 |
Number of pages | 11 |
ISBN (Print) | 9780819472229 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2008 |
Externally published | Yes |
Event | Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes II - Marseille, France Duration: 23 Jun 2008 → 28 Jun 2008 |
Publication series
Name | Proceedings of SPIE |
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Publisher | SPIE |
Number | 7012 |
ISSN (Print) | 0277-786X |
Other
Other | Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes II |
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Country/Territory | France |
City | Marseille |
Period | 23/06/08 → 28/06/08 |
Keywords
- Antarctic astronomy
- Heterodyne receiver
- Interstellar medium
- Site testing
- Star formation
- Submillimeter instrumentation
- Terahertz spectroscopy