KEOPS: Kiloparsec Explorer for Optical Planet Search, a direct-imaging Optical Array at Dome C of Antarctica
Technology roadmap for future interferometric facilities, Proceedings of the European Interferometry Initiative Workshop organized in the context of the 2005 Join European and National Astronomy Meeting "Distant Worlds", 6 - 8 July 2005, Liège University, Institute of Astrophysics, Edited by J. Surdej, D. Caro, and A. Detal
Laboratoire Universitaire d'Astrophysique de Nice, Parc Valrose, F-06100 Nice, France
Laboratoire Universitaire d'Astrophysique de Nice, Parc Valrose, F-06100 Nice, France
Laboratoire Universitaire d'Astrophysique de Nice, Parc Valrose, F-06100 Nice, France
Laboratoire Universitaire d'Astrophysique de Nice, Parc Valrose, F-06100 Nice, France
Laboratoire Universitaire d'Astrophysique de Nice, Parc Valrose, F-06100 Nice, France
Laboratoire Universitaire d'Astrophysique de Nice, Parc Valrose, F-06100 Nice, France
Laboratoire Universitaire d'Astrophysique de Nice, Parc Valrose, F-06100 Nice, France
Laboratoire Universitaire d'Astrophysique de Nice, Parc Valrose, F-06100 Nice, France
Laboratoire Universitaire d'Astrophysique de Nice, Parc Valrose, F-06100 Nice, France
Laboratoire Universitaire d'Astrophysique de Nice, Parc Valrose, F-06100 Nice, France
Laboratoire Universitaire d'Astrophysique de Nice, Parc Valrose, F-06100 Nice, France
OCA, Mont Gros F-06304 Nice cedex, France
LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, 92195 Meudon cedex, France
4JPL, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, MS 171-113, Pasadena, CA, USA
Abstract
The future winter operation of the new permanent station on the Antarctic plateau at Dome Concordia is a strong motivation to investigate the potential of the site for astronomical observations. Recent site seeing testing campaigns conducted by our team from University of Nice show that Dome C represents the best site on Earth for astronomical high angular resolution (HAR) observations at optical and IR wavelengths. The dramatic gain over relevant HAR parameters r0, L0, θ0 and �?�0, added to very low temperatures during the polar winter nights (-70 °C), the dry atmosphere and the possibility of continuous observations during several nights make Dome C the ideal site for deploying a kilometric optical interferometer before the 2015 horizon. Here we describe the concept of Kiloparsec Explorer for Optical Planet Search (KEOPS) that is studied by our group at LUAN. KEOPS is an interferometric array of 36 off-axis telescopes, each 1.5m in diameter. Its kilometric baselines open sub-mas snap-shot imaging possibilities to detect and characterize extra-solar planetary systems specially exo-Earths out to 300 parsecs from the visible to the thermal IR.