Astrophysics from Dome A

¹ School of Physics, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QL, UK
² Steward Observatory, 933 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
³ School of Physics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
⁴ Nanjing Institute of Astronomical Optics Technology, China
⁵ Purple Mountain Observatory, China
⁶ National Astronomical Observatory of China, China
⁷ Polar Research Institute of China, China
⁸ Caltech Optical Observatories, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
⁹ Space Sciences Laboratory, U C Berkeley, CA, USA
¹⁰ TMT Project, Pasadena, CA, USA
¹¹ Tianjin Normal University, China
¹² Dept. of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

Corresponding author: nfht@astro.ex.ac.uk

Abstract

Dome A, the summit of the Antarctic plateau, is expected to have even better atmospheric conditions for ground-based astronomy than Dome C. Instruments to evaluate and exploit Dome A's astronomical potential must operate within logistical constraints, which are currently very stringent. Instrumentation now at Dome A exemplifies the techniques and solutions required by this environment. Future instrumentation and infrastructure will allow the qualities of the site to be exploited much more fully.