AeronomySpace

Aeronomy, and Astrophysics

Physics, and
Program
Astrophysics Program

Vladimir Papitashvili
Antarctic Sciences Section
NSF/Office of Polar Programs
 Antarctic Research
1. Research aimed at exploration
of Antarctica
Examples:
– Aerogeophysics and geology
– Sea-floor mapping
– Long-term ecological
research
– Life sciences
2. Research on Antarctica’s role in
global systems
Examples:
– Ozone, greenhouse gases
– Ocean circulation and sea level
– Climate changes
– Continental drift

3. Research using Antarctica as a platform

Examples:
Seismic studies
Meteorite collection
Aeronomy and upper atmosphere
Space physics
Astronomy and astrophysics
 South Pole Station

– Neutrino astrophysics and radio astronomy

to test cosmological models
– Space physics and upper atmospheric studies
to forecast space weather
– Ozone depletion, monitoring of UV radiation
to test global warming
– Atmospheric constituents and pollution
– Palaeoclimatic records from snow and ice
– Human behavioral studies
– Global seismology

U.S. Antarctic Program, New Investigators workshop 23 – 24 August 2004

 Aeronomy, Space and
Astrophysics Research
– high, dry, cold atmosphere with negligible
variability — almost space-like conditions
– clarity of the continental ice for the largest
neutrino telescope
– polar vortex permits long duration balloon-
borne experiments
– geomagnetic focus of solar and cosmic particles
and fields (aurora australis)
– unique photochemistry creates the ozone hole

U.S. Antarctic Program, New Investigators workshop 23 – 24 August 2004

 AMANDA - Antarctic Muon and

Neutrino Detector Array

Neutrino telescopes look through the
Earth to understand how Mother Nature
can accelerate particles to very high
energies (tera- and peta-electron volts)

U.S. Antarctic Program, New Investigators workshop

 IceCube
A new neutrino
telescope of 1-km3 scale

• To detect high-energy neutrinos from

deep space
• To probe new window into the
U.S. Antarctic Program, New Investigators workshop
Universe 23 – 24 August 2004
Radio Astronomy (Sub-MM and Infrared)
– AST/RO, ACBAR, SPARO, SPIREX,
DASI
Temperature variations (µK)
(inflationary model and data)
 Cosmic Microwave Background
Research
A new 10-m dish radio telescope –
to test inflation of the Universe

45 m

16 m

SPT–
SPT– FY07
FY07
 NASA/NSF
Long-Duration Balloons Program
 Sun –Earth Connections

AURORA BOREALIS AND AURORA

AUSTRALIS
 U.S. Automatic
Geophysical Observatories

Ozone Hole
September 2000

U.S. Antarctic Program, New Investigators workshop 23 – 24 August 2004

 Antarctic Aeronomy, Space Physics
& Astrophysics

Funding FY01 FY02 FY03 FY04

Aeronomy $0.6M $0.6M $1.2M $0.5M
New Proposals 0/2 0/2 4/0 3/2
Space Physics $1.8M $1.0M $1.7M $2.1M
New Proposals 5/0 4/1 3/0 12/5
Astrophysics $3.4M $7.9M $6.7M $7.3M
New proposals 3/4 4/2 3/6 7/3
Total $5.8M $9.5M $9.6M $9.9M
Funded/Declined 8/6 8/5 10/6 22/10
Proposals deadline is around June 1 of each year

OPP also holds funds for cross-directorate programs: ITR ($1.5M) and MRI ($1.1M)
 Antarctic Aeronomy, Space Physics
& Astrophysics – Budget Profile

$M
8.0

7.0

6.0

5.0

4.0

3.0

2.0
Astrophysics
1.0
Space Physics
0.0
FY01
Aeronomy
FY02
FY03
FY04

FY05 commitments: 75% of the base budget ($9.9M)