High Elevation Antarctic THz Telescope (HEAT)

HEAT将是世界上第一个自动化太赫兹天文台，也是第一个可以像圆顶A一样放置在南极洲最高峰的天文望远镜。最近的气象数据清楚地表明，圆顶A是高原上最高、最干燥、最冷的地方，这直接转化为远红外和亚毫米大气窗口的最佳大气透射。事实上，圆顶A可能是地球上唯一一个关键的1.9太赫兹窗口可以在任何时间内进入的地方。针对Dome A的操作进行了优化，HEAT可以常规地访问电磁频谱中探索最少的区域之一，并提供有关银河系物质分布和状态的新的基本知识。HEAT内部的高度自动化可以显著降低运营成本并提高效率。为了取得成功，HEAT必须坚固耐用，能够远程、低功耗运行一年。在许多方面，HEAT更像是一个天基天文台，而不是地面天文台。HEAT是国际天文年联合委员会批准的一个多国项目，得到了新南威尔士大学（UNSW）、荷兰空间研究组织（SRON）、科隆大学以及美国宇航局和几所美国大学的资助。这些资金被要求对HEAT项目进行详细的设计、成本和后勤研究。研究完成后，将制作一份综合报告并提交给美国国家科学基金会。

HEAT will be the world's first automated THz observatory, and the first astronomical telescope of any kind which could be placed at the high summits of Antarctica like Dome A. Recent meteorological data clearly demonstrate that Dome A is the highest, driest, and coldest site on the plateau, which directly translates into the best atmospheric transmission in the far-infrared and submillimeter atmospheric windows. Indeed, Dome A is likely the only site on Earth where the crucial 1.9 THz window becomes accessible for any length of time. Optimized for operation from Dome A, HEAT can routinely access one of the least explored regions of the electromagnetic spectrum and provide new, fundamental knowledge about the distribution and state of matter in the Galaxy. The high degree of automation within HEAT may significantly reduce operation costs and increase efficiency. To succeed, HEAT must be robust and capable of remote, low-power, operation for a year at a time. In many ways HEAT is more like a space-based observatory than a ground-based one. HEAT is an IPY Joint Committee approved, multi-national project, with contributions from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), the Space Research Organization of the Netherlands (SRON), the University of Cologne, as well as NASA and several U.S. universities. The funds are requested to perform a detailed design, cost, and logistical study of the HEAT project. A comprehensive report will be produced and presented to the NSF upon completion of the study.