@article{
  author = {Jiali Chen; Zhengyang Li ; Zhixu Wu; Jia’nan Cong; Zichong Zhang; Kaiwen Zheng; },
  title = {Performance analysis and strategy optimization of mechanical defrosting for an Antarctic near-infrared telescope using aperture photometry},
  keywords = {Dome A; Antarctic infrared thermal radiation; Mechanical defrosting; Aperture photometry},
  abstract = {Dome &nbsp;A, &nbsp;in &nbsp;Antarctica, &nbsp;offers &nbsp;an &nbsp;exceptional &nbsp;site &nbsp;for &nbsp;ground-based &nbsp;infrared &nbsp;astronomy, &nbsp;with &nbsp;its &nbsp;extremely low &nbsp;atmospheric &nbsp;infrared &nbsp;background &nbsp;noise &nbsp;and &nbsp;excellent &nbsp;seeing &nbsp;conditions. &nbsp;However, &nbsp;deploying near-infrared telescopes &nbsp;in &nbsp;the &nbsp;harsh &nbsp;environment &nbsp;of &nbsp;Antarctica &nbsp;faces &nbsp;the &nbsp;critical &nbsp;challenge &nbsp;of &nbsp;frost &nbsp;accumulation &nbsp;on &nbsp;optical &nbsp;mirrors. While &nbsp;indium &nbsp;tin &nbsp;oxide &nbsp;heating &nbsp;films &nbsp;effectively &nbsp;defrost &nbsp;visible-band Antarctic astronomical &nbsp;telescopes, &nbsp;their &nbsp;thermal radiation &nbsp;at &nbsp;infrared &nbsp;wavelengths &nbsp;introduces &nbsp;significant &nbsp;stray &nbsp;light, &nbsp;severely &nbsp;degrading &nbsp;the &nbsp;signal-to-noise &nbsp;ratio &nbsp;for infrared &nbsp;observations. &nbsp;To &nbsp;address &nbsp;this limitation, &nbsp;we&nbsp; have &nbsp;designed &nbsp;a &nbsp;mechanical &nbsp;snow-removal &nbsp;system &nbsp;capable &nbsp;of efficiently &nbsp;clearing &nbsp;frost &nbsp;from &nbsp;sealing &nbsp;window &nbsp;surfaces &nbsp;at &nbsp;temperatures &nbsp;as &nbsp;low &nbsp;as –80°C. &nbsp;Aperture &nbsp;photometry &nbsp;of &nbsp;target sources, Canopus &nbsp;and &nbsp;HD 2151, &nbsp;revealed &nbsp;that &nbsp;after &nbsp;six &nbsp;days &nbsp;without &nbsp;intervention, &nbsp;floating &nbsp;snow &nbsp;extinction &nbsp;reduced target &nbsp;brightness &nbsp;by &nbsp;up &nbsp;to &nbsp;3 &nbsp;magnitudes. &nbsp;Following &nbsp;mechanical &nbsp;defrosting, &nbsp;the &nbsp;source &nbsp;flux recovered &nbsp;to &nbsp;stable &nbsp;levels, with &nbsp;measured &nbsp;magnitudes &nbsp;showing &nbsp;rapid &nbsp;initial &nbsp;improvement &nbsp;followed &nbsp;by &nbsp;stabilization. &nbsp;Data &nbsp;analysis &nbsp;indicates &nbsp;that &nbsp;a frost &nbsp;removal &nbsp;strategy &nbsp;operating &nbsp;every &nbsp;48 &nbsp;h, &nbsp;with &nbsp;each operation &nbsp;consisting &nbsp;of &nbsp;4–6 &nbsp;cycles, enables &nbsp;efficient &nbsp;removal &nbsp;of frost &nbsp;and &nbsp;snow &nbsp;without &nbsp;introducing &nbsp;additional &nbsp;thermal &nbsp;noise. &nbsp;Future &nbsp;work &nbsp;will &nbsp;focus &nbsp;on &nbsp;optimizing &nbsp;the &nbsp;adaptive &nbsp;control algorithm &nbsp;and exploring &nbsp;novel &nbsp;low-temperature &nbsp;defrosting materials &nbsp;to &nbsp;extend &nbsp;the &nbsp;periods &nbsp;during &nbsp;which &nbsp;Antarctic infrared&nbsp;telescopes&nbsp;can&nbsp;operate&nbsp;unattended.},
  doi = {https://doi.org/10.3724/ ati2025057},
  url = {https://chinaxiv.org/abs/202512.00038},
  timestamp = {2026-06-05},
}
