Timedomain astronomy with PILOT John Storey and the PILOT team

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Time-domain astronomy with PILOTJohn Storey and
the PILOT team
The PILOT Phase A study is part of an initiative
of the Australian Government being conducted as
part of the National Collaborative Research
Infrastructure Strategy.
Image John Storey
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The PILOT team

• Project Leader John Storey
• Project Manager Roger Haynes
• Project Scientist Jon Lawrence
• Telescope Scientist Will Saunders
• Project Engineer Peter Gillingham
• Systems Engineer Andrew McGrath
• ...and many others.

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Why Antarctica?

• Image quality twice as good as at temperate sites
• Photometric precision twice as good
• Infrared sky 20 50 times darker
• Long periods of uninterrupted darkness
• Big science with small telescope
• Unique opportunity for wide-field, high precision
  astronomy

Image Camillo Calvaresi
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Not just cold, but clear and calm.
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PILOT vision overview

• 2.5 metre optical/infrared telescope
• Dual role pathfinder and unique science
• International project
• Sited at Concordia Station, Dome C, Antarctica

Image Andrew McGrath
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Concordia station, Dome C

• French/Italian station, opened year-round in 2005
• Astronomy is one of the key sciences
• Equidistant from Dumont dUrville, Baia Terra
  Nova and Casey stations

• 16 people in winter, up to 80 people in summer
• Station operating cost of 5.5m/year

Images John Storey, Jon Lawrence
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Australias strategic interests in Antarctica
- Maintain influence - Strengthen treaty -
International engagement - Situational
awareness - Public interest - Cultural
historical
Dome C ?
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Logistic support from Hobart
CASA 212
Dome C
Casey
Twin Otter
DdU
Airbus A319
lAstrolabe
Hobart
Image Australian Antarctic Division
Sydney
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Airlink
Ski-equipped CASA 212

• Established 2007 with Australian government
  funding of 46m
• Hobart Casey in 4.2 hours in Antarctic Division
  A319 Airbus
• Intra-continental flights in ski-equipped CASA
  212 aircraft

Airbus A319
Wilkins runway, 70 kms SE of Casey Station
Images Australian Antarctic Division
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PILOT context Australias Decadal Plan
Australias top priorities for new
infrastructure funding this decade are to
commence 10 participation in the SKA and an ELT,
maintain 20 access to 8-m class optical/infrared
telescopes, continue operations of the AAO and
Australia Telescope, and carry out the PILOT
program.
Australian Astronomy Decadal Plan, 2006
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PILOT context Australian astronomy in Antarctica

• 15-year history of successful experiments at
  South Pole, Concordia, and now Dome A.
• Leadership in innovative instrumentation for site
  characterisation
• SPIREX
• 60 cm IR telescope at South Pole
• Operated for two years
• US/Australian collaboration
• Refereed Australian-first-author
• papers
• Technology pathfinder

Image CARA
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Australian postage stamp

• Issued September 2008

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PILOT context PLATO

• Chinese expedition to Dome A in January 2008
• Robotic astronomical laboratory built at UNSW
• International instrument suite
• Australia, China, UK, USA
• Part of ongoing ARC-funded project to fully
  characterise Antarctic Plateau
• Data returned in real time via Iridium satellite.

Image PRIC
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CSTAR

• CSTAR specification
• Supplied by NIAOT, NAOC, PMO, TNU
• 4 x 145 mm Schmidt (Fl 175 mm)
• Andor 1k x 1k frame transfer CCD
• 20 sq deg FOV (4.5 x 4.5 degrees)
• g, r, I, unfiltered

Images PLATO team
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CSTAR image, 16 April 2008
Image PLATO team
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PILOT context SPT
Big engineering projects are possible in
Antarctica
Image Andrew Mcgrath
Image South Pole Telescope
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The PILOT Phase A study

• NCRIS funding of 1m awarded to UNSW for 2007
• Additional 250k from UNSW
• Technical study subcontracted to AAO
• Additional resources contributed by AAO
• Additional resources contributed by ARENA
  partners
• Report submitted 31 July 2008.
• http//www.aao.gov.au/pilot/pilot_status.htm

Image Guillaume Dargaud
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PILOT is a Pathfinder...

• PILOT is the necessary next step along a path
  towards larger Antarctic telescopes. These might
  include
• An infrared interferometer
• A 8m high dynamic range telescope
• An 8m wide-field telescope
• A sub-mm/terahertz telescope or interferometer

...and PILOT is also a science machine.
Image Erick Bondoux
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PILOT science
PILOT has unique capabilities in- Wide-field,
high resolution imaging - 5 20 times the
survey speed of VISTA - 10 times survey speed
(to given depth) of the 8 m VLT FIRES- Terahertz
astronomy- Time-series astronomy-
Asteroseismology
Four identified big science drivers H2 in
our Galaxy The first light in the Universe
The earliest stellar populations The Equation
of State of the Universe
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Complementarity with ELTs

• PILOT has wider field-of-view than ELTs or JWST
• Unique PILOT science
• Finderscope for an ELT
• Wide-field imaging sensitivity of PILOT well
  matched to ELT narrow-field spectroscopy
• Technological pathfinder for eventual Antarctic
  ELT

• Red bars GMT spectroscopy
• Green crosses PILOT imaging sensitivity
• Yellow crosses LAPCAT imaging sensitivity

GMT/Jon Lawrence
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Complementarity with SKA

• Both facilities enhance wide-field survey
  astronomy
• Complementary science goals, eg
• Equation of State of universe
• Coronal mass ejection
• Same longitude as ASKAP and MWA
• Allows coordinated time-critical studies
• Common challenge of remote operation
• Power, maintenance, systems engineering

Images ASKAP
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Complementarity with SKA

• Both facilities enhance wide-field survey
  astronomy
• Complementary science goals, eg
• Equation of State of universe
• Coronal mass ejection
• Same longitude as ASKAP and MWA
• Allows coordinated time-critical studies
• Common challenge of remote operation
• Power, maintenance, systems engineering

Images ASKAP
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• http//www.aao.gov.au/pilot/pilot_status.htm

Soon to be the PILOT trilogy...
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Time series astronomy I
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Time series astronomy II
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Time series astronomy III
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Time series astronomy IV
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International engagement

• ARENA
• EU-funded FP6 network
• 20 European institutions plus Australia
• US universities
• Arizona
• Caltech
• Chicago
• Cornell
• Interest shown by China, Japan and South Africa
• New Astronomy Astrophysics from Antarctica
  Scientific Research Program created within SCAR
  at July 2008 meeting in Moscow.
• International engagement in Antarctic astronomy
  forums, through IAU and SCAR.

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Industry engagement
Phase A contracts were let to

• Atacama Engineering
• Bassets
• Connell Wagner
• EDAG Australia
• EOST
• Fast Automation
• LEAP
• PPC
• SKM
• SAGEM

CFD simulation of PILOT airflow by LEAP Pty Ltd
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PILOT Organisational chart, Phase A
FP6
NCRIS
UNSW
ARENA MoU
PILOT Science Office
Univ. Nice
AAL
ARENA
PILOT Design Study
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PILOT time-line

• CoDR 24 25 July 2008
• International CoDR panel
• Wolfgang Ansorge, RAMS-CON
• Brian Boyle, CSIRO ATNF
• Peter Gray, TMT
• Geraint Lewis, Sydney University
• Peter Yates, Aust. Ant. Div.
• Final report from Phase A, 31 July 2008
• ANSOC presentation, 2 September 2008
• ANSOC panel
• Michael Barber
• Garth Illingworth
• Malcolm Longair
• David Warren
• Robert Williams
• Decision on PILOT Phase B funding 30 September
  2008

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PILOT costs
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PILOT funding profile
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PILOT phase B
Image John Storey
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Phase B funding request

• Preliminary Design Phase being planned for 2009
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• Estimated Preliminary Design Phase cost 2.5
  3.4m
• Higher figure includes two instrument studies
• Construction-ready by 2010
• Estimated Development Phase cost 45m plus 9m
  per instrument
• Operational cost 2.5m/year includes PILOTs
  share of
• Concordia costs
• AAO operation
• First light would be 2013

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Draft ANSOC report
The international collaborators are not yet
committed to the construction of a telescope at
Dome C and have not agreed to project plans to do
so. The ANSOC considers international
collaboration to be essential in order to
optimise the prospects for the future
construction and operation of such a telescope.
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Thank you
Image Andrew Mcgrath