Astrophysics from Antarctica: overview of recent science Michael Burton University of New South Wales SCAR Astronomy and Astrophysics from Antarctica 2 nd Workshop Siena, Italy 24-26 July, 2013
Outline Sites and Rationale for Antarctica Recent astrophysics conducted from Antarctica: Neutrinos CMBR THz to Sub-mm Optical Balloons Science themes for the Future SCAR Horizon Plan 10m South Pole Telescope Image: Bob Spotz
Background low thermal background Transmission low water vapour Stability of background Precision low scintillation noise Cadence continuous observations Clarity seeing Absorber ice Collector moving ice Image: Michael Burton
Image: Michael Burton
Astrophysical Results SP F R/A M C Wind Speed A. Monaghan, Byrd Polar Research Center
100 years of Astronomy in Antarctica The Adelie Land Meteorite 5 Dec 1912: Bickerton, Whetter & Hodgeman 1923 Ice as a Collector
http://icecube.wisc.edu
Aartsen et al., First Observation of PeV Neutrinos with IceCube, 2013, submitted. arxiv:1304.5356
atmospheric muon (blue) + neutrino (red) background + astrophysical E 2 Φ(E) =(3.6±1.2) 10 8 GeVcm 2 s 1 sr 1 IceCube Preliminary IceCube Preliminary energy deposited in the detector zenith angle Aartsen et al., First Observation of PeV Neutrinos with IceCube, 2013, submitted. arxiv:1304.5356
IceCube Steffan Richter
CMBR Fluctuations BOOMERanG: McMurdo LBDF 2.725 ± 0.003K The Universe is flat! 1.2m Telescope + 10-day balloon flight in 1998 E-mode Poln. in 2 nd flight de Bernardis et al. 2000, A flat Universe from high-resolution maps of the cosmic microwave background radiation, Nature, 404, 955-959 Masi et al. 2003, Instrument, method, brightness and polarization maps from the 2003 flight of BOOMERanG, A&A, 458, 687
The South Pole Telescope SZ Survey Keisler et al. 2011, ApJ, 743, 28 A Measurement of the Damping Tail of the Cosmic Microwave Background Power Spectrum with the South Pole Telescope Acknowledgements: Halverson 2012, IAU GA
WMAP vs. SPT
Angular Power Spectrum of CMBR (WMAP)+ACBAR+QUaD+SPT: South Pole 90+150+220 GHz 1,000 sq deg. 2,000 < l < 9,500 To l=9,500 over 1,000 sq. deg. ΛCDM cosmology (small-l) + Dusty, star-forming galaxies (high-l) Lueker el. 2010 Measurements of secondary cosmic microwave background anisotropies with the South Pole Telescope, ApJ, 719, 1045
CMB Polarization E-mode B mode Gravitational Waves + Weak Lensing?? E mode detections B mode upper limits Challinor, A, 2013, CMB Anisotropy a review, IAU Symp. 288 Astrophysics Antarctica
SPT and ALMA Weiss et al, 2013, ApJ, 767, 88. ALMA Redshifts of Millimeter-selected Galaxies from the SPT Survey: The Redshift Distribution of Dusty Star-forming Galaxies
-100 +100 km/s Lee & Stark, 2013 [CI] 1-0 CO 4-3 460 GHz CO 2-1 230 GHz
The Vela Molecular Ridge THz + Sub-mm, BLAST, McMurdo LDBF 50 sq. deg. @ 250+350+500µm Complete census of ~1,000 star forming cores Some cores < 14K Netterfield et al. 2009, BLAST: the mass function, lifetimes and properties of of intermediate mass cores in Vela, ApJ, 707, 1824
BLAST Cosmic Infrared Background Devlin, M. et al., 2009. Over half the far-infrared background light comes from galaxies at z>1.2, Nature, 458, 737.
BLASTPOL Carina 500µm 450µm SPARO 500µm BLASTPOL Pascale, E. 2010, BLAST and BLASTPOL, IAU Symp 288, 154
HEAT at Ridge A THz Spectral Imaging Craig Kulesa Michael Ashley, 2013, in prep. [CI] 810 GHz 12 CO 115 GHz 13 CO 110 GHz Mopra
Optical Astronomy Cadence + Precision Concordia Station, Dome C Kunlun Station, Dome A
ASTEP 400 Dome C WASP-19b Folded Light Curve May 1 21, 2010 3 mmag rms photometry WASP18b: ASTEP (Antarctica) vs. BEST II (Chile) Fruth, T et al., 2012, Joint Planet Hunting with ASTEP and BEST II, Abe, L, 2013, The secondary eclipses of WASP-19b as seen by the ASTEP 400 telescope from Antarctica, A&A, 553, A49.
Chinese Small Telescope Array (CSTAR) 15cm telescope i-band pointing at South Celestial Pole 5 x5, 4 months cont. obs; 4 images every 20s Exoplanet cand. RR Lyrae δ Scuti Contact Semi-detached Detached binaries Lingzhi Wang et al., 2011, Photometry of variable stars from Dome A, Antarctica, AJ, 142, 155 Images: NIAOT
Mt Erebus BLAST Mark Halpern
2013 Long Duration Balloons Heavy element Cosmic Rays Polarized Dust CMB Polarization W. Vernon Jones
SuperTIGER Exceeded 2008-09 SPB Flight Record 2008-09 SPB Test 54 days of flight: Balloon remained pressurized- no apparent gas loss. It could have flown indefinitely. 2012-13 SuperTIGER 55 days of flight: Vented Zero-Pressure balloon in equilibrium with the atmosphere. The altitude changed with air temperature/ pressure.
The SCAR Horizon Scan www.scar.org/horizonscanning/questions.html 751 questions, 338 submitters from 38 countries ~32 astrophysics-related (inc space )
Theme Subject Questions # Cosmology Inflation Did it take place? When? 3 Cosmology Dark Energy What is it? 3 Cosmology Mass in the Universe What form does it take and how is it distributed? Particle Physics Neutrinos What are their masses & how do they obtain it? Particle Physics Dark Matter What is it? 1 Galaxy Evolution First Stars and Galaxies Where and how were they born? 2 The Galaxy Molecular Clouds How are they formed? 1 Exo-planets Others solar systems How can we find and characterise inhabitable solar systems? Solar Cosmic Rays What is their energy spectrum? 1 4 2 2 Dust Cosmic Dust Its impacts and effects on the Earth s atmosphere Earth-Sun environment Interactions of solar wind and Earth Physics of the radiation belts, solar wind and space weather 2 11
Thank-you