The Antarctic Submillimeter Telescope and Remote Observatory (AST/RO)

Abstract

AST/RO, a 1.7 m diameter telescope for astronomy and aeronomy studies at wavelengths between 200 and 2000 microns, was installed at the South Pole during the 1994-1995 Austral summer. The telescope operates continuously through the Austral winter, and is being used primarily for spectroscopic studies of neutral atomic carbon and carbon monoxide in the interstellar medium of the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds. The South Pole environment is unique among observatory sites for unusually low wind speeds, low absolute humidity, and the consistent clarity of the submillimeter sky. Four heterodyne receivers, an array receiver, three acousto-optical spectrometers, and an array spectrometer are installed. A Fabry-Perot spectrometer using a bolometric array and a Terahertz receiver are in development. Telescope pointing, focus, and calibration methods as well as the unique working environment and logistical requirements of the South Pole are described.

57 pages, 15 figures. Submitted to PASP

References in corpus (5)

• Measurement of the Hubble Constant from X-ray and 2.1 mm Observations of Abell 2163
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• Anisotropy in the Microwave Sky at 90 GHz: Results From Python III
• Anisotropy in the Cosmic Microwave Background at Degree Angular Scales: Python V Results
• Anisotropy of the Microwave Sky at 90 GHz: Results from Python II

Cited by in corpus (18)

• Detection of the 205 um [NII] Line from the Carina Nebula
• The AST/RO Survey of the Galactic Center Region. I. The Inner 3 Degrees
• Astronomy in Antarctica
• Gas Density, Stability, and Starbursts Near the Inner Lindblad Resonance of the Milky Way
• Warm and Dense Molecular Gas in the N159 Region: 12CO J=4-3 and 13CO J=3-2 Observations with NANTEN2 and ASTE
• Large Scale CO and [CI] emission in the rho Ophiuchi Molecular Cloud
• Studies of Millimeter-Wave Atmospheric Noise Above Mauna Kea
• Site testing for submillimetre astronomy at Dome C, Antarctica
• Millimeter and Submillimeter Survey of the R Corona Australis Region
• High Excitation Molecular Gas in the Magellanic Clouds
• Large-Scale CO Maps of the Lupus Molecular Cloud Complex
• A CO (J=3-2) Outflow Survey of the Elias 29 Region
• The History of Astrophysics in Antarctica
• AST/RO Observations of CO J=4-3 Emission from the N44 Complex in the Large Magellanic Cloud
• AST/RO 13CO(J=2-1) and 12CO(J=4-3) Mapping of Southern Spitzer c2d Small Clouds and Cores
• 13CI in high-mass star-forming clouds
• IRAC Observations of CO J=4-3 High-Velocity Cloud in the 30 Doradus Complex in the Large Magellanic Cloud
• The Chemistry and Kinematics of Two Molecular Clouds near Sagittarius A*