| Scientific Goal Scientific Program Meeting Format Meeting dates |
SCIENTIFIC GOAL
The experience over this period has led to dramatic improvements in delivered
image quality at existing observatories, both with conventional telescope
optics in suitable mountings and enclosures and through the development of
adaptive optics and optical interferometry to the operational stage. These
advances greatly increase the demands on the atmospheric quality of potential
future sites for optical telescopes. At the same time, the wavelength range
covered from a single observatory has increased dramatically: At observatories
initially established for optical astronomy, optical and (sub)mm astronomy
have become of increasing importance. In addition, the existence of multi-year
cycles of climate variation makes it necessary to extend measurements over
long periods. Finally, diagnostics of the rapid rise in man-made perturbation
of the environment must also be included, such as potential airborne pollution
from (natural and) artificial sources, interference from urban development and
airline traffic, and radio noise from ground and space based radar or
communications installations. These and other factors must be quantified and
considered in the selection of future observatory sites.
Together, these developments greatly expand the range of atmospheric and other
environmental parameters to be explored when prospecting for potential
observatory sites. On the one hand, this implies greater complication and more
rational planning of the equipment and analysis techniques to be deployed in
future site testing campaigns. On the other hand, the more detailed
understanding of the atmosphere that results from these measurements is itself
of scientific value that transcends the narror borders of astronomy into the
environmental sciences.
Finally, the recent commissioning of several very large telescopes on a very
small number of sites has highlighted the need to prepare an inventory of the
- presumably few - remaining sites on Earth where adequate conditions still
exist for future major observatories, so that the options are known and
protective measures can be taken in time, if necessary.
We propose to hold an IAU Colloquium - the first on this subject for many
years - to review the state of the art in site testing methods and instruments
across the entire ground-based optical, infrared, and (sub)mm wavelength
ranges. Capabilities, commonalities, and complementarities between methods
will be clarified, with a view to establish lists of necessary and sufficient
equipment for site testing at various ambition levels as well as the
corresponding data reduction, calibration, and standardization procedures.
Links and synergisms between ground and space based techniques will be
explored with a view to mapping out a strategy for identifying additional
high-quality observatory sites, suitably distributed in geographical
longitude and latitude.
| Session I: | Physical mechanism of atmospheric turbulence | Chairperson: S. Radford | ||
| Review paper: Mechanism of formation of optical turbulence | J. Vernin | -Generation of atmospheric turbulence | -Optical turbulence in the visible: The temperature field | -In the Radio range: water vapor, long baseline | -In the IR: Temperature and water vapor |
| Session II: | Measuring Instruments in the visible | Chairperson: M. Sarazin | ||
| Review paper: Observational methods for the study of optical turbulence | R. Avila | -Remote sensing (G-Scidar, DIMM, Radiometer, Scintillometer, GSM ...) | -In situ sensing (Balloon, mast ...) | 1st Large Audience Conference |
| Session III: | Site characterization and atmospheric transparency in the mm/submm range | Chairperson: M. Ishiguro | ||
| Review paper: Site characterization for mm/submm astronomy | S. Radford | -Tropospheric constituents | -Atmospheric transparency | -Radiometers and photometers | -Spectrometers (submm FTSs) | -In situ measurements, i. e., radiosondes, etc. | -Transparency models | Cultural Activities |
| Session IV: | Tropospheric phase stability and compensation schemes | Chairperson: L.F. Rodriguez | ||
| Review paper: Compensation schemes for tropospheric phase instability | D. Woody | -Water vapor turbulence | -Radio and optical seeing | - Interferometry decorrelation | - Test interferometers | - Sky brightness fluctuations | - Fast switching | - Water vapor radiometry |
| Session V: | Forecasting | Chairperson: J. Vernin | ||
| Review paper: What can meteorological numerical models do for the astronomers | E. Masciadri | - Weather | - Seeing | - Cloud cover | - Extinction | 2nd Large Audience Conference |
| Session VI: | Site Surveys | Chairperson: R. Giovanelli | ||
| Review paper: The 'ideal' site revisited by future ground-based telescope projects | M. Sarazin | - Existing sites | - New sites (High altitude, Antarctic...) | - Radio and light pollution | - Dust pollution |
| Session VII: | Astroclimatic Stations | Chairperson: Z. Benkhaldoun | ||
| Review paper: What an astronomer might expect from an astroclimatic station? | C. Muñoz-Tuñon | - Existing stations | - Standards to apply | - Networking, Database |
| Session VIII: | Phase correction: Adaptive Optics and Interferometry | Chairperson: M. Chun | ||
| Review paper: Atmospheric limitations to adaptive image compensation | F. Roddier | - Relevant atmospheric parameters | - New ideas for integrated parameters | - Monitoring (Differential water vapor, G-Scidar,...) | Visit to the Astronomical Site of Oukaimeden |
| General remarks: | - Each session will be 3-4 hour long with a coffee break. | - Invited (review) papers will be 30-45 minutes long. | - Contributed papers will be 15-20 minutes long. | - Two conferences will be given to a large Moroccan audience. |
| - Sunday 12, Registration | - Monday 13, Registration, Session I, Session II, 1st Large Audience Conference before diner. | - Tuesday 14 Session III, Guided visit of Medina (afternoon), Ceremonial diner and folkloric show. | - Wednesday 15, Session IV, Session V, 2nd Large Audience Conference before diner. | - Thursday 16, Session VI, Free afternoon. | - Friday 17, Session VII, Session VIII, Visit to the astronomical site of Oukaimeden, Diner and "Star Night" with amateur astronomers. | - Back to Marrakech in the morning of Saturday 18. |