KEOPS: towards exo-Earths from Dome C of Antarctica

This paper describes a coronagraphic nulling interferometer called KEOPS (Kiloparsec Explorer for Optical Planet Search) to be placed on the Dome C plateau of Antarctica. KEOPS is an interferometric array of 39 1 m–2 m telescopes spread over kilometric baselines and operated in the thermal IR region. It could search and characterize all potential exoEarths within the 1 kpc diameter region observable from Dome C. We argue that even in the very difficult operation conditions of Antarctica, such a facility can compete at a much lower cost with the non-zero risk space missions, both for for ExPNs search and their spectroscopic characterization plus sub-mas snap-shot imaging of galactic and extra-galactic compact sources.