Bell Labs Research Takes Scientists to the South Pole

South Pole (March, 1999) --Research at Bell Labs sometimes takes its practitioners to the ends of the Earth -- literally -- as in Antarctica and the South Pole.

Bell Labs researcher Greg Wright, accompanied by a toy penguin, unfurled the Lucent flag at the South Pole recently. Bell Labs scientists have had a research presence in Antarctica since the 1970s.

That's the case with Lou Lanzerotti, a researcher in the Physical Sciences and Engineering Research Division, Greg Wright, an researcher in the Wireless Division, and some of their colleagues.

"For studying problems in geophysics and space physics, the unique conditions of the South Pole give us an opportunity to gather data that just isn't possible elsewhere," Lanzerotti said.

Bell Labs researchers have traveled to various sites in Antarctica since the 1970s. The geophysical research aims to understand the boundary between the Earth's space environment and the interplanetary medium produced by the sun. Instruments at McMurdo Station, South Pole and at six unmanned Automatic Geophysical Observatories (AGOs) monitor and record a variety of data.

These measurements provide vital information about changes in the interaction between the interplanetary medium and the Earth. These variations -- some as small as a thousandth of a percent -- can only be recorded with highly sensitive instruments.

Solar activity can change the Earth's space environment -- including the ionosphere -- dramatically. These changes affect all types of communications equipment, from satellites to wireless networks to undersea cables buried in the ocean floor. Intense solar sunspot activity can magnify such disruptions.

"The better job we can do predicting when the peak in solar and geomagnetic activity will occur may enable telecommunications providers, power companies and others to make some adjustments and to lessen any impact," said Carol Maclennan, of the Physical Sciences and Engineering Research Division.

Intense sunspot activity occurs about every 11 years and can cause satellites, long-distance cables and electrical power distribution systems to malfunction. A widespread power failure in the province of Quebec, occurred during the last period of high-intensity activity in 1989. Sunspot activity is increasing now and is expected to peak again in 2000-2002.

Wright works on the 1.7 meter radio telescope that allows scientists to make observations they couldn't make anywhere else on Earth.

Wright's research has a different focus than Lanzerotti's. Since the early 1990s, he has studied star formations at the South Pole as a way to detect how galaxies were formed in the early universe. He completed his fifth trip to Antarctica in December.

The Antarctic Submillimeter Telescope and remote Observatory (AST/RO) enables researchers such as Wright to observe radio frequencies that are usually absorbed by water vapor in the air. However, Antarctica's very dry atmosphere prevents this, giving scientists an opportunity to observe and record data that simply isn't attainable elsewhere on the planet.

"This leading edge radio receiver research at the very high end of the frequency spectrum is critical to future growth in the wireless business," Wright said. "It's important that Lucent comes up with these breakthroughs and that we're not surprised by the competition," he added.

Scientists using the high-powered AST/RO telescope produced the first comprehensive survey of the distribution of atomic carbon in the galaxy. Atomic carbon is the key to determining how fast stars are formed. The major limitation on the telescope size was the cargo space inside a C-130, the military cargo plane that carried it to the Pole.

The telescope's mirror is 1.7 meters wide. The entire telescope structure -- with the mirror removed -- had to fit in an 8-by-8 shipping container. Bell Labs scientists in Holmdel built the telescope's secondary mirror, the calibration system and the drive system. The drive system consists of the units controlling the telescope's motors and the software designed to ensure the telescope is pointed accurately in the right direction.

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory manages the project with collaboration from Bell Labs, Boston University, the University of Cologne and the University of Arizona. Tony Stark, John Bally and Nobel Laureate Robert Wilson initiated Bell Labs involvement in the early 1990s. The National Science Foundation owns and operates all the U.S. stations and infrastructures.

Because of the severe conditions, most scientists visit the South Pole during the austral summer season, from early October to late February. Summer temperatures are in the -10 F to -40 F range. In the winter, temperatures can drop to -110 F.

All U.S. visits to the South Pole begin with a stop at McMurdo Station, about 800 miles -- or a 3-hour flight -- from the South Pole. White-out conditions can produce zero visibility, forcing researchers to wait inside the plane on the ice until teams with high-powered snowmobiles can locate the landing site. Such a situation took place on one of Wright's most recent visits.

In the summer peak season, McMurdo's population rises to more than 1,000. About 300 support staff and scientists, ranging from biologists to those studying glaciers, make the trek to the South Pole.

At the Pole itself, a dome 165-feet in diameter and 65-feet high covers three main buildings for those who stay at the Pole for extended periods. During the summer months, most researchers stay outside the dome in insulated, canvas-covered huts with individual sleeping compartments.

Under the dome, there's a dining facility, an administrative office/library and a housing area. The diet consists mostly of frozen beef, shrimp, chicken and vegetables. Electric stoves produce fresh bread and cakes.

Les Medford at the South Pole.

On special occasions such as Thanksgiving or Christmas, fresh food is flown in for those remaining on-site. Wright personally chopped about 40 pounds of fresh kumara -- a close relative of the yam -- for Thanksgiving dinner.

Scientists can make outgoing phone calls on a limited basis -- depending on the satellite configurations - and have limited Internet access. Lanzerotti, Maclennan, Joe Kraus, of the Physical Sciences and Engineering Research Division (researcher, retired) Les Medford and Wright have all logged frequent flyer miles to McMurdo and the South Pole.

Medford visited the Pole in January to repair the Bell Labs instrumentation and provided technical advice on the automatic observatory installation. At the ever-shifting geographic South Pole (due to the pressure from ice flows), Medford proudly unfurled the Lucent Technologies flag to mark yet another frontier for Bell Labs research.