Year: 2010
Type: article
Abstract: We present the first direct measurements of the terahertz atmospheric transmission above Dome A, the highest point on the Antarctic plateau at an elevation of 4.1 km. The best-quartile atmospheric transmission during the Austral winter is 80% at a frequency of 661 GHz (453 μm), corresponding to a precipitable water vapor column of 0.1 mm. Daily averages as low as 0.025 mm were observed. The Antarctic atmosphere is very stable, and excellent observing conditions generally persist for many days at a time. The exceptional conditions over the high Antarctic plateau open new far-infrared spectral windows to ground-based observation. These windows contain important spectral-line diagnostics of star formation and the interstellar medium which would otherwise only be accessible to airborne or space telescopes.
DOI: 10.1086/652276
Institutions: Polar Research Institute of China, State Oceanic Administration, University of Arizona, University of Exeter, UNSW Sydney, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Purple Mountain Observatory, Nanjing Institute of Astronomical Optics & Technology, National Astronomical Observatories, Australian Astronomical Observatory, Macquarie University, European Space Agency, European Space Research and Technology Centre, Texas A&M University
Language: English
Subfield: Instrumentation
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Funders: National Science Foundation, Frances McClelland Institute for Children, Youth, and Families, University of Exeter, European Commission, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Polar Research Institute of China, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Australian Antarctic Division
OpenAlex ID: W2015778629