The Science Case for PILOT I: Summary and Overview

TL;DR

PILOT is a proposed 2.5-meter optical/infrared telescope at Dome C, Antarctica, leveraging exceptional atmospheric conditions to enable unique astronomical observations and scientific research.

Contribution

This paper provides an overview of PILOT's instrumentation, science goals, observational strategies, and its potential impact on Antarctic and global astronomy.

Findings

Exceptional atmospheric conditions at Dome C improve observational quality.

PILOT's instrumentation is optimized for high-performance optical/infrared observations.

The telescope will enable studies of the early universe and local celestial objects.

Abstract

PILOT (the Pathfinder for an International Large Optical Telescope) is a proposed 2.5 m optical/infrared telescope to be located at Dome C on the Antarctic plateau. Conditions at Dome C are known to be exceptional for astronomy. The seeing (above ~30 m height), coherence time, and isoplanatic angle are all twice s good as at typical mid-latitude sites, while the water-vapour column, and the atmosphere and telescope thermal emission are all an order of magnitude better. These conditions enable a unique scientific capability for PILOT, which is addressed in this series of papers. The current paper presents an overview of the optical and instrumentation suite for PILO and its expected performance, a summary of the key science goals and observational approach for the facility, a discussion of the synergies between the science goals for PILOT and other telescopes, and a discussion of the future of Antarctic astronomy. Paper II and Paper III present details of the science projects divided, respectively, between the distant Universe (i.e., studies of first light, and the assembly and evolution of structure) and the nearby Universe (i.e., studies of Local Group galaxies, the Milky Way, and the Solar System).