AMICA: the NIR/MIR camera for automatic astronomical observations from Dome C, Antarctica

Abstract

AMICA is a double-armed camera designed to perform NIR/ MIR (2-28 µm) Astronomy from Antarctica. It will be installed at Dome C in 2010-2011. An overview of the instrument is given, with attention to the following features: 1) Winterization: AMICA has been tested under Antarctic conditions to be operated in severe environments; 2) Automation: AMICA does not require human intervention; 3) Fast acquisition: AMICA can get images with exposure times less than 3 msec; 4) Survey-mode observations: the low background in Antarctica allows AMICA to have FOVs of 2.29 arcmin (NIR) and 2.89 arcmin (MIR), without saturation even with wide-band filters.