KEOPS: towards exo-Earths from Dome C of Antarctica

Publisher: Edp Sciences

E-ISSN: 1638-1963|14|issue|211-217

ISSN: 1633-4760

Source: EAS Publications Series, Vol.14, Iss.issue, 2010-03, pp. : 211-217

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Abstract

This paper describes a coronagraphic nulling interferometer calledKEOPS (Kiloparsec Explorer for Optical Planet Search) to be placedon the Dome C plateau of Antarctica. KEOPS is an interferometricarray of 39 1 m–2 m telescopes spread over kilometric baselines andoperated in the thermal IR region. It could search and characterizeall potential exoEarths within the 1 kpc diameter region observablefrom Dome C. We argue that even in the very difficult operationconditions of Antarctica, such a facility can compete at a muchlower cost with the non-zero risk space missions, both for for ExPNssearch and their spectroscopic characterization plus sub-massnap-shot imaging of galactic and extra-galactic compact sources.