Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-hfldf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-04T01:25:21.899Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Star Formation at Dome C: Sub-millimeter Line Observations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 January 2006

C. Ceccarelli
Affiliation:
Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de l'Observatoire de Grenoble, BP. 53, 38041 Grenoble, France
E. Caux
Affiliation:
Centre d'Étude Spatiale des Rayonnements, CNRS-UPS, BP. 4346, 31028 Toulouse, France
Get access

Abstract

Dome C is one of the best sites on the Earth for carrying out sub-millimeter astronomical observations. Specifically, given the extremely dry atmosphere, the Tera-Hertz bands at 1000, 1300 and 1500 GHz, open up for a reasonable fraction of the time. Since these bands are presently almost not observable with ground based telescopes elsewhere on the Earth, observations in those bands have been only possible with airborne and/or satellite telescopes so far. This implies indeed that very few observations have been carried out in those bands, and with very reduced spatial and spectral resolutions, although some important molecular transitions fall there. In this contribution, we review the studies relevant to the Star Formation topics, which can be done in the three Tera-Hertz bands, and compare with existing and/or planned facilities. In particular, we consider the two proposed possibilities of a 12 m single dish operating in the three bands (ASO proposal: see Olmi contribution), and of an $3{\times} $ 2 m antennae interferometer operating at 1500 GHz (HEAT, a variation of the API proposal: see Swain contribution). In our opinion, the second possibility has a greater chance to provide really unique observations with respect to existing or planned facilities in the sub-millimeter range.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© EAS, EDP Sciences, 2005

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)