Expressions of Intent for IPY 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

COSMOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS at CONCORDIA with HIGH-sensitivity INSTRUMENT for SOURCE EXTRACTION  (COCHISE)

Outline
The main scientific goals of the COCHISE project are: -to study Sunayev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect on several clusters of galaxies;-to complement CMB polarization experiments with single dish observations;-to observe galactic and extragalactic sources in the millimetric and sub-millimetric range and to monitor their variability;-to perform preliminary characterizations of the anomalous dust emission in the sub-millimetric and radio range;COCHISE is a 2.6 m single dish telescope, very similar to the OASI telescope already installed at MZS, and its deployment is scheduled for the Antarctic summer 2005-2006 . The focal plane of COCHISE can house different instruments coming from the International Community, interested in the sub-mm and mm Astrophysics (i.e. the MASTER radiometer of the University of Milano-Bicocca). First focal-plane instrument to be installed is a multichannel mm photometer.The Antarctic Plateau, with the combination of low water vapour content, stable atmosphere, low temperature and low wind speed, offer the best conditions for ground-based observations in the most unexplored wavelength range. COCHISE is the ideal pathfinder for future large telescopes which require a detailed ‘phase-A’ study.- First observations of COCHISE will be dedicated to the measure of SZ effect. This program is in good agreement with a project already started in collaboration with the University of Rome "La Sapienza", with the University of Milano-Bicocca, and the Rome Astronomical Observatory and partly funded by Italian MIUR.SZ Effect is rich of astrophysical and cosmological information, such as the possibility of measuring the Hubble constant, the measurement of CBR temperature in clusters at different redshift, the distribution of proper velocities, as well as astrophysical information about the intracluster distribution and temperature. - Single dish observations provide essential complementary data for the analysis of tiny signal from the CMBP.- COCHISE will be able to observe a complete sample of extragalactic (i.e. FIR-luminous Galaxies, extreme Gigahertz Peaked Spectrum sources), and Galactic objects (i.e. HII regions), still poorly known in the mm and sub-mm. It will also monitor the variability of extragalactic sources (i.e. QSO, Bl Lac). - The study of the correlated dust emission in the submm and radio range at intermediate galactic latitude will provide essential knowledge of foregrounds for future ground-based and satellite experiments aimed to detect the B-mode CMBP.An experiment complementary to COCHISE, the atmospheric radiometer CASPER (University of Rome “La Sapienza”), will continuously monitor the atmospheric transmission during the observations, thereby improving the accuracy of measurements.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
Cosmology: we expect to reach a better knowledge of the birth and the development of our Universe.Astrophysics: we expect to reach a better insight of the physical processes occurring in our Galaxy and outer galaxies.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
Interest has been expressed by a number of institutions in France and in the USA

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
Concordia station at Dome C

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: n/a
Antarctic: Nov. 2005 onwards            

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
Installation on the field of an existing submillimetric telescope. Realization of suitable shelters for the instrument and for dedicated control room and observers.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
YES, the observatory will be open to the International Community of Astronomers.

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?
Consortium
Own national polar operator
Another national polar operator
National agency
Own support
Other sources of support

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
Yes, The Italian PNRA has already funded the realization of the telescope. The design of the detectors at the focal plane is in progress and has been partly funded by the Italian MIUR. Expression of interest is in the process of being considered by the Italian National Committee for IPY

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE

Is the project a short-term expansion (over the IPY 2007-2008 timeframe) of an existing plan, programme or initiative or is it a new autonomous proposal?
no
COCHISE is intended as the natural development of the OASI observatory installed at MZS several years ago.

How will the project be organised and managed?
COCHISE will be self-managed within the PNRA or the Concordia collaboration.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
COCHISE observations will provide new light in human understanding of the Universe. They will be used in educational activities at university and high-school level. Outreach activities are foreseen both within the Italian Antarctic Program framework and on independent bases.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document)?
COCHISE data will be made available to the Community within the Italian Antarctic Program agreement. Metadata, relative to COCHISE observations, will be produced and included in the SCAR database.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
As already specified, the project has been funded in large part by the Italian PNRA. Recently other funds came from MIUR. We will apply to the Committee for Dome Concordia for the remaining funds, regarding mainly the installation of the telescope and the shelters.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
None

PROPOSER DETAILS

Ass. Prof. Dall’Oglio Giorgio
Univ. of Roma 3
via della Vasca Navale 84
Roma
00146
Italy

Tel: +39 06 5517 7800
Mobile: +39 320 1716 018
Fax: +39 06 5579 303
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation

Other Information