2019 Astrophysics Strategic Technology Gaps TRL Scientific, Applications and Solution
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2019 Astrophysics Strategic Technology Gaps TRL Scientific, Applications and Solution SOTA Engineering, and/or Potential Relevant Gap Name Description Current State-of-the-Art Performance Goals and Objectives Urgency Programmatic Astrophysics Benefits Missions Angular The capability to resolve the habitable Monolith: 3.5-m sintered SiC with < 3 µm SFE 3 3 Large (4–16 m) monolith and multi-segmented This gap is likely to be LUVOIR, HabEx, or any Demonstration of Resolution zones of nearby star systems in the (Herschel); 2.4-m ULE with ~10 nm SFE mirrors for space that meet SFE < 10 nm rms closed by development of other large UV/Vis/NIR feasibility and as (UV/Vis/NIR) UV/Vis/NIR band, with a large space (HST); Depth: Waterjet cutting is TRL 9 to 14", (wavelength coverage 400–2500 nm); Wavefront large monolithic or space observatory. much risk reduction telescope. but TRL 3 to >18". Fused core is TRL 3; stability better than 10 pm rms per wavefront control segmented telescopes. as possible prior to slumped fused core is TRL 3 (AMTD). time step; CTE uniformity characterized at the ppb Aside from angular completion of Segmented: (no flight SOA): 6.5 m Be with 25 level for a large monolith; Segmented apertures resolution, large primary Astro2020. Per nm SFE (JWST); Non-NASA: 6 DOF, 1-m leverage 6 DOF or higher control authority meter- mirrors enhance planet LUVOIR and HabEx class SiC and ULE, < 20 nm SFE, and < 5 nm class segments for wavefront control. sensitivity due to reduction Final Reports, TRL wavefront stability over 4 hr with thermal in science integration time 6 in the mid-2020’s control with greater collecting areas would be needed. and throughput enabling probing of a larger number of more distant stars’ habitable zones and improved spectral resolution. Coronagraph The capability to suppress starlight unobscured pupil: 6×10-10 raw contrast at 10% 4 3 Maximized science yield for a direct imaging This gap is likely to be LUVOIR, HabEx, or any Demonstration of Contrast with a coronagraph to the level bandwidth, angles of 3-15 λ/D (HLC demo in telescope/mission. ≤ 10-10 raw contrast, >10% closed by improvements in other coronagraph- feasibility and as needed to detect and spectrally HCIT); obscured pupil: 1.6×10-9 raw contrast at throughput, IWA ≤ 3 λ/D, obscured/segmented pupil coronagraph masks and based exoplanet direct- much risk reduction characterize Earth-like exoplanets in 10% bandwidth across angles of 3-9 λ/D optics, wavefront control, imaging mission. as possible prior to the habitable zones of Sun-like stars. (WFIRST) data post-processing. completion of Astro2020. Per LUVOIR and HabEx Final Reports, TRL 6 in the mid-2020’s would be needed. Coronagraph The capability to maintain the deep WFIRST CGI demonstrated ~10-8 contrast in 3 3 Contrast stability on time scales needed for spectral This gap is likely to be LUVOIR, HabEx, or any Demonstration of Contrast starlight suppression provided by a a simulated dynamic environment using measurements (possibly as long as days). closed by a combination of other coronagraph- feasibility and as Stability coronagraph for a time period long LOWFS (which obtained 12 pm focus Achieving this stability requires an integrated many factors in a based exoplanet direct- much risk reduction enough to detect light from an exo- sensitivity) approach to the coronagraph and telescope, possibly coronagraph/observatory imaging mission. as possible prior to Earth. SIM and non-NASA work has demonstrated including wavefront sense/control, metrology and system, including active completion of nm accuracy and stability with laser metrology correction of mirror segment phasing, vibration wavefront control at the Astro2020. Per isolation/reduction coronagraph level, thermal LUVOIR and HabEx Capacitive gap sensors demonstrated at 10 control, active and passive Final Reports, TRL pm This stability is likely to require wavefront error stability at the level of 10-100 pm per control step (of ultra-stable structures, and 6 in the mid-2020’s 80 dB vibration isolation demonstrated order 10 minutes). disturbance isolation/ would be needed. Gaia gold gas microthrusters and LISA reduction. pathfinder colloidal microthrusters can reduce vibrations 1 2019 Astrophysics Strategic Technology Gaps TRL Scientific, Applications and Solution SOTA Engineering, and/or Potential Relevant Gap Name Description Current State-of-the-Art Performance Goals and Objectives Urgency Programmatic Astrophysics Benefits Missions Cryogenic Readout schemes including cryogenic Readout schemes using HEMT or SiGe 4 3 Near-term, this scheme should result in 2000 pixels Sensitivity reduces FIR detector technology Need to Readouts for multiplexing for arrays of large-format amplifiers and frequency-multiplexed resonant per amplifier channel (enabling), 3000 observing times from many is an enabling aspect of demonstrate Large-format Far-IR detectors need to be circuits are in development. A few hundred pixels/channel (enhancing).HEMT amplifiers from hours to a few minutes (≈ all future FIR mission credibility before the Far-IR developed. channels per 1 mW HEMT amplifier have been Low Noise Factory can achieve 10 dB with 0.38 mW 100× faster), while array concepts, and is 2020 Decadal Detectors demonstrated. Low power dissipation at 4 K is of dissipation at 4 K. format increases areal essential for future Survey, and would required. For TES-based detectors a coverage by ×10-100. progress. require TRL 6 by microwave SQUID multiplexer using frequency Overall mapping speed can This technology can mission PDR division, time division or code division increase by factors of improve science anticipated in the multiplexing is needed. Frequency division thousands. capability at a fixed cost mid-2020s. multiplexing is well advanced and can meet Sensitivity enables much more rapidly than the needs of Origins when scaled to 2000 measurement of low- larger telescope sizes. pixels (resonators) per 4 GHz channel. surface-brightness debris This development serves disks and protogalaxies with Astrophysics almost an interferometer. This is exclusively (with some enabling technology. impact on planetary and Suborbital and ground- Earth studies). based platforms can be Many synergies exist used to validate with similar technologies and advance developments for x-ray TRL of new detectors. microcalorimeters Fast, Low- Lynx requires X-ray imaging arrays Silicon active pixel sensors (APS) currently 3 3 • Lynx requires large format X-ray detectors with Enables X-ray imaging of Lynx, Joint Astrophysics Need to Noise, covering wide fields of view (> 60 x 60 satisfy some of the requirements, but further sufficient spatial resolution so as not to wide fields with high spatial Nascent Universe demonstrate Megapixel X- mm) with excellent spatial resolution work is needed to meet all requirements compromise the imaging performance of the resolution and sufficient Satellite (JANUS) / X-ray credibility before the ray Imaging (i.e. <16 micron pixels, or equivalent simultaneously. Lynx optics (notionally with 0.5” half power spectral resolution to meet Time Domain Explorer 2020 Decadal Arrays with X-ray position resolution), and APS with 36-µm pixels are at TRL 6, but noise diameter, HPD); science goals of strategic X- (XTiDE) -like, or any Survey, and would Moderate moderate spectral resolution levels are still too high, and sensitivity to soft X • Multi-chip abuttablility to build detector surface ray missions. other focused X-ray require TRL 6 by Spectral (comparable to modern scientific rays needs to improve. Sparsified readout, approximating best focal surface for the mirrors; optics, or coded-aperture mission Preliminary Resolution CCDs). limited to pixels with signals, allows fast frame • roughly Fano-limited spectral resolution in the wide-field X-ray- Design Review These detectors must have good rates and is at TRL 3. 0.2-10 keV energy band; actual energy monitoring, or X-ray- (PDR) anticipated in detection efficiency across the soft X- resolution requirement is still TBD, but it will be grating mission. the mid-2020s. ray band pass, from 0.2-10 keV, and roughly CCD-like or perhaps slightly less excellent detection in the low-energy stringent (0.2 – 1 keV) end of this band pass is • Frame rates > 30~100 frames/s; essential. Therefore, optical blocking • Optical-blocking filters with minimal X-ray filters with minimal attenuation of soft absorption above 0.2 keV; X-ray will also be required. Radiation hardness supporting 5-20 years of science Fast frame rates (i.e. > 30 -100 operations at Chandra-like or L2 orbit frame/s) to minimize pile-up for demanding effective areas that are ~30x that of Chandra are also required. 2 2019 Astrophysics Strategic Technology Gaps TRL Scientific, Applications and Solution SOTA Engineering, and/or Potential Relevant Gap Name Description Current State-of-the-Art Performance Goals and Objectives Urgency Programmatic Astrophysics Benefits Missions High-efficiency Light-weight, high-efficiency (> 40- Proven technologies (grating spectrometers on 4 4 Lightweight, high efficiency (~40% or more), large- Spectrometers achieving R A spectrometer using Need to X-ray Grating 50%), large-format X-ray grating Chandra and X-ray Multi-mirror Mission- format grating arrays with high spectral resolving > 5000 throughout the soft gratings with this demonstrate Arrays for arrays enable high spectral resolving Newton, XMM-Newton) fall short in efficiency, power (R>5000) in the soft X-ray band (0.2 - 2 keV) X-ray band are mission- performance is credibility before the High- power R > 5000 in the soft X-ray band collecting area, and resolving power, by for absorption- and emission-line spectroscopy using enabling, as envisioned for Lynx, has 2020 Decadal resolution (~ 0.2 - 2 keV) for absorption- and factors of 5-10. High-efficiency gratings have large X-ray telescopes. microcalorimeters cannot been studied by NASA Survey, and would Spectroscopy emission-line spectroscopy using been demonstrated that place > 40% of the achieve that. Priority as a Probe, has been require TRL 6 by large X-ray telescopes.