Abstract
We report the discovery of a likely outbursting Class I young stellar object, associated with the star-forming region NGC 281-W (distance ∼2.8 kpc). The source is currently seen only at ...infrared wavelengths, appearing in both the Palomar Gattini InfraRed (1.2
μ
m) and the Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (3.4 and 4.6
μ
m) photometric time-domain surveys. Recent near-infrared imaging reveals a new, extended scattered light nebula. Recent near-infrared spectroscopy confirms the similarity of PGIR 20dci to FU Ori–type sources, based on strong molecular absorption in CO, H
2
O, and OH; weak absorption in several atomic lines; and a warm wind/outflow as indicated by a P Cygni profile in the He
i
λ
10830 line. This is a rare case of an FU Ori star with a well-measured long-term photometric rise before a sharper outburst, and the second instance of an FU Ori star with a documented two-step brightening in the mid-infrared.
Atmospheric water vapor is the main limiting factor of atmospheric transparency in the mm and submm wavelength spectral windows. Thus, dry sites are needed for the installation and successful ...operation of radio astronomy observatories exploiting those spectral windows. Temperature and wind are variables of special consideration when planning the installation and operation of large-aperture radio telescopes, as these parameters affect the mechanical response of radio telescopes exposed to the environmental conditions. Temperature, and in particular temperature gradients, induce thermal deformation of mechanical structures, while high wind speeds and gusts induce pointing jitter affecting the tracking accuracy of astronomical sources during the observations. This work summarizes the statistics of precipitable water vapor (PWV), temperature, and wind monitored at sites by the coastal mountain range, as well as on the west slope of the Andes mountain range in the region of Antofagasta, Chile. This information could prove useful for the planning of extended baselines for the Atacama Large Millimeter and Submillimeter Array (ALMA), and/or new radio telescope projects, such as the Atacama Large Aperture Submm/mm Telescope (AtLAST) initiative.
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New measurements of optical turbulence profile at the Cerro Pachón observatory in Chile are analysed jointly with previously published data to model the variations of the intensity and thickness of ...the ground layer and free atmosphere under a variety of observing conditions. This work is motivated by the need to predict statistically the performance of ground-layer adaptice optics. We find that the ground-layer profile can be represented by a decaying exponent with a scale height of 20–40 m, increasing to 100 m under bad conditions. The zone from 6 to 500 m contributes typically about 61 per cent to the total integral, the latter causing a median seeing of 0.77 arcsec. Turbulence integrals in the ground layer and in free atmosphere vary independently of each other, in 50 per cent of cases they deviate by less than 1.8 times from their respective median values. The existence of periods with low turbulence in the free atmosphere and their importance for adaptive optics is stressed.
Thirty Meter Telescope Site Testing I: Overview Schöck, M.; Els, S.; Riddle, R. ...
Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific,
04/2009, Volume:
121, Issue:
878
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
As part of the conceptual and preliminary design processes of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), the TMT site-testing team has spent the last five years measuring the atmospheric properties of five ...candidate mountains in North and South America with an unprecedented array of instrumentation. The site-testing period was preceded by several years of analyses selecting the five candidates: Cerros Tolar, Armazones and Tolonchar in northern Chile; San Pedro Mártir in Baja California, Mexico; and the 13 North (13N) site on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. Site testing was concluded by the selection of two remaining sites for further consideration, Armazones and Mauna Kea 13N. It showed that all five candidates are excellent sites for an extremely large astronomical observatory and that none of the sites stands out as the obvious and only logical choice based on its combined properties. This is the first article in a series discussing the TMT site-testing project.
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The results of the characterization of precipitable water vapor in the atmospheric column carried out in the context of identifying potential sites for the deployment of the Thirty Meter Telescope ...(TMT) are presented. Prior to starting the dedicated field campaign to look for a suitable site for the TMT, candidate sites were selected based on a climatology report utilizing satellite data that considered water vapor as one of the study variables. These candidate sites are all of tropical or subtropical location at geographic areas dominated by high-pressure systems. The results of the detailed on-site study, spanning a period of 4 yr, from early 2004 until the end of 2007, confirmed the global mean statistics provided in the previous reports based on satellite data, and also confirmed that all the candidate sites are exceptionally good for astronomy research. At the locations of these sites, the atmospheric conditions are such that the higher the elevation of the site, the drier it gets. However, the data analysis shows that during winter, San Pedro Mártir, a site about 230 m lower in elevation than Armazones, is drier than the Armazones site. This finding is attributed to the fact that Earth’s atmosphere is largely unsaturated, leaving room for regional variability; it is useful in illustrating the relevance of in situ atmospheric studies for understanding the global and seasonal variability of potential sites for astronomy research. The results also show that winter and spring are the driest seasons at all of the tested sites, with Mauna Kea (in the northern hemisphere) and Tolonchar (in the southern hemisphere) being the tested sites with the lowest precipitable water vapor in the atmospheric column and the highest atmospheric transmission in the near and mid-infrared bands. This is the tenth article in a series discussing the TMT site-testing project.
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The optical turbulence above Dome C in winter is mainly concentrated in the first tens of metres above the ground. Properties of this so-called surface layer (SL) were investigated during the period ...2007–2012 by a set of sonic anemometers placed on a 45 m high tower. We present the results of this long-term monitoring of the refractive index structure constant
$C_n^2$
within the SL, and confirm its thickness of 35 m. We give statistics of the contribution of the SL to the seeing and coherence time. We also investigate properties of large-scale structure functions of the temperature and show evidence of a second inertial zone at kilometric spatial scales.
The results on the vertical distribution of optical turbulence above the five mountains which were investigated by the site testing for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) are reported. On San Pedro ...Mártir in Mexico; the 13 North site on Mauna Kea; and three mountains in northern Chile: Cerro Tolar, Cerro Armazones, and Cerro Tolonchar; MASS-DIMM turbulence profilers have been operated over at least two years. Acoustic turbulence profilers—SODARs—were also operated at these sites. The obtained turbulence profiles indicate that at all sites the lowest 200 m are the main source of the total seeing observed, with the Chilean sites showing a weaker ground layer than the other two sites. The two northern hemisphere sites have weaker turbulence at altitudes above 500 m, with 13N showing the weakest turbulence at 16 km, responsible for the large isoplanatic angle at this site. The influence of the jetstream and wind speeds close to the ground on the clear sky turbulence strength throughout the atmosphere are discussed, as well as seasonal and nocturnal variations. This is the sixth article in a series discussing the TMT site testing project.
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A good astronomical site must fulfill several criteria including low atmospheric turbulence and low wind speeds. It is therefore important to have a detailed knowledge of the temperature and wind ...conditions of a location considered for future astronomical research. Antarctica has unique atmospheric conditions that have already been exploited at the South Pole station. Dome C, a site located on a local maximum of the Antarctic plateau, is likely to have even better conditions. In this paper we present the analysis of two decades of wind speed measurements taken at Dome C by an automated weather station (AWS). We also present temperature and wind speed profiles taken over four Antarctic summers using balloon-borne weather sondes. We will show that as well as having one of the lowest average wind speed ever recorded at an existing or potential observatory, Dome C also has an extremely stable upper atmosphere and a very low inversion layer.
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We present summer site testing results based on DIMM data obtained at Dome C, Antarctica. These data were collected on the bright star Canopus during two 3-months summer campaigns in 2003-2004 and ...2004-2005. We performed continuous monitoring of the seeing and the isoplanatic angle in the visible. We found a median seeing of 0.54´´ and a median isoplanatic angle of 6.8´´. The seeing appears to have a deep minimum around 0.4´´ almost every day in late afternoon.
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