KEOPS: towards exo-Earths from Dome C of Antarctica

• Main Authors: Vakili, F., Aristidi, E., Schmider, F. X., Jankov, S., Fossat, E., Abe, L., Domiciano, A., Belu, A., Agabi, A., Daban, J.-B., Robbe-Dubois, S., Petrov, R., Vernin, J., Ziad, A., Lopez, B.
• Other Authors: Laboratoire Universitaire d'Astrophysique de Nice (LUAN), Université Nice Sophia Antipolis (1965 - 2019) (UNS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire Hippolyte Fizeau (FIZEAU), Université Nice Sophia Antipolis (1965 - 2019) (UNS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, Université Côte d'Azur (UCA)-Université Côte d'Azur (UCA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Joseph Louis LAGRANGE (LAGRANGE), Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur (OCA), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2004
• Subjects: [PHYS.ASTR]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-02480363; https://doi.org/10.1051/eas:2005033

International audience This paper describes a coronagraphic nulling interferometer called KEOPS (Kiloparsec Explorer for Optical Planet Search) to be placed on the Dome C plateau of Antarctica. KEOPS is an interferometric array of 39 1m 2m telescopes spread over kilometric baselines and operated in the thermal IR region. It could search and characterize all potential exoEarths within the 1 kpc diameter region observable from Dome C. We argue that even in the very difficult operation conditions of Antarctica, such a facility can compete at a much lower cost with the non-zero risk space missions, both for for ExPNs search and their spectroscopic characterization plus sub-mas snap-shot imaging of galactic and extra-galactic compact sources.