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First image of NGC3576 at 450 microns, a Southern hemisphere region of high-mass star formation that is not observable with Northern telescopes. A&A letter preprint - paper online (pdf; 600 ko)
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First 450 micron imaging of star-forming regions and protoplanetary disks with p-ArTéMiS on APEX telescope
The first wide-field maps were obtained with the prototype camera of ArTéMiS, a wide-field new generation bolometer camera, on APEX telescope on the Chajnantor plateau in Chile. These astronomical observations were carried out thanks to three ESO and Swedish time project on APEX. The Saclay astronomers have imaged the thermal emission of cold dust grains that are embedded in star-forming cores and in proto-planetary/deris. Among the imaged regions, NGC3576, G327.3-0.6, S255, NGC2264, high-mass star-forming regions, and HD97048 et Beta-Pictoris, a protoplanetary and a debris disks were mapped and detected. Figure in attachment present our large-scale map of NGC3576 at 450 microns.
Science objective
The ARTEMIS project aims to develop novel technologies for large arrays of detectors in the submillimetre part of the electromagnetic spectrum. These large array developments will mainly be beneficial for submillimetre astronomy and its needs in the coming years. The study of embedded star formation at all scales in the Universe will particularly benefit with two highlight projects on:
- the earliest phases of star formation: luminosity and mass of massive protostars.
- high redshift galaxies (z>3) and star formation in the early Universe.
Astronomical observations at submillimetre wavelengths are limited either by the angular resolution of the telescope or by the sensitivity and the field of view of the detector array. New generation of radio telescopes, such as the APEX telescope on the high altitude plateau of Atacama in Chile, can overcome these limitations if they are equipped with large detector arrays made of thousands of sensitive bolometer pixels.
Left: APEX telescope at 5100 m on Llano Chajnantor in Chile. Right: KOSMA telescope at 3100 m on the Gornergrat in the Swiss Alps.
Telescope
A prototype of ArTéMiS has successfully been tested on the KOSMA telescope from University of Cologne and on APEX (MPIfR/Bonn, Onsala Space Observatory/Sweden, ESO), a 12-m ALMA type telescope on Llano Chajnantor in Chile. First Astronomical observations at 450 µm with p-ArTéMiS/APEX in the continuum were carried out in November 2007 under ESO and Swedish observing time.
Project funding and consortium
The ArTéMiS project is funded by the French Research Agengy (ANR), the CEA, and partly by two national programmes, PNPS and PCMI. ArTéMiS is CEA led-collaboration with IAS/CNRS, IAP/CNRS and CRTBT/CNRS. Our international partners are Onsala Space Observatory/Sweden, ESO, and KOSMA/University of Cologne. Contributions from CEA/DRT/Leti, CEA/DSM/SBT and CEA/DSM/SIS are also acknowledged.
First lights of the ArTéMiS prototype camera (p-ArTéMiS)
March 2007: First lights on the APEX telescope and p-ArTéMiS as PI instrument on APEX.
March 2006: First lights on the KOSMA telescope
Last update: 13/10/2008
Editor: V. Minier
last update : 10-13 00:00:00-2008 (2295)
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