[140.05] AST/RO Surveys of the Southern Milky Way

AAS 205th Meeting, 9-13 January 2005
Session 140 Cold Gas and Molecular Clouds
Poster, Thursday, January 13, 2005, 9:20am-4:00pm, Exhibit Hall

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[140.05] AST/RO Surveys of the Southern Milky Way

N. F. H. Tothill (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), AST/RO Team

We have taken advantage of the excellent atmospheric conditions prevalent on the Antarctic plateau to complete two large millimeter- and submillimeter-wave surveys of the southern galactic plane: Firstly, a survey of the galactic center region, and secondly, a series of cuts through the plane which give us an unbiased view of CO 4--3 and atomic carbon submillimeter emission.

We are currently undertaking surveys of the Chamaeleon and Lupus molecular clouds in support of the `Cores to Disks' Legacy Program of the Spitzer Space Telescope. With its proven ability to map large areas at both millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, and its southern location, AST/RO is uniquely placed to contribute to the Legacy Program's goal of understanding star formation in these nearby clouds, by characterising the physical conditions of the molecular gas.

We also comment on the current status and prospects of AST/RO, together with TREND and SPIFI, two instruments designed to exploit the 1.4 THz atmospheric window at the South Pole.

AST/RO is supported by the NSF Office of Polar Programs.

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