Lunar University Network for Astrophysics Research Executive Committee Meeting

2. Lunar University Network for Astrophysics Research Executive Committee Meeting September 21-22, 2009

3. Agenda: September 21 • Welcoming Remarks • Update from LUNAR-central • Updates from Key Project Teams • Gravitational Physics & Lunar Structure via LLR • Radio Heliophysics • Education & Public Outreach • Overview of DREAM Team • Tours of LRO control room & Laser Ranging Facility • Group dinner

4. Update from LUNAR-central • Five-minute overviews of Key Projects • Political Landscape • Augustine Report • Funding for SMD • Activities at NLSI-central • LUNAR contributions to NLSI Lunar Science Forum • NLSI postdoc program • LUNAR grants program • Monthly LUNAR webinars • Conferences & Workshops

5. LUNAR = Lunar University Network For Astrophysics Research http://lunar.colorado.edu

6. Overviews of Key Project • Gravitational Physics & Lunar Structure via Lunar Laser Ranging. • Radio Heliophysics. • Low Frequency Astrophysics & Cosmology.

7. Lunar Laser Ranging GroupSummary of Topics to be Addressed after Break • University of San Diego • Tom Murphy • New Science for Next Generation LLR • Work Plan of Lunar Laser Ranging Group • APOLLO Station Results – • Dust and Signal Reduction • Preparation for LRO • Ephemeris Software Issues – • PEP

8. Goddard Space Flight Center • Stephen Merkowitz • Decadal Survey Inputs for Lunar Laser Ranging • Hollow Cube Development • Jan McGarry • Laser Ranging to LRO • University of Maryland – College Park • Doug Currie • CCR/Housing/Regolith Simulations • Thermal Vacuum Testing of CCR and Housing • Launch Environment Analysis & Lunar Emplacement • Status of Work Plan

9. Heliophysics Key Project • A small low frequency radio array on the near-side of the moon • Dozens of antennas deployed as an early sortie science package • Image bright emission from energetic electrons accelerated at coronal mass ejections • Serves as a pathfinder for far-side array • NLSI/LUNAR Tasks • Science: characterize lunar radio interference environment and search for transients with existing data • Array: Refine concept using similar observations, simulations, trade studies • Pathfinder: technology development for antennas, deployment, electronics

10. Status Summary

11. Low Frequency Cosmology & Astrophysics Use the H I emission/absorption signatures against the CMB as cosmological & astrophysical probe Significant science return — Direct probe of this cosmic epoch NASA’s Exploration infrastructure opens avenue for science exploitation of lunar farside LUNAR Consortium engaged in crucial technology development Builds on conclusions of concept studies funded by Astrophysics Mission Concept Studies program

12. Year 1 Work Plan • Theoretical Tools • Analytical tools and simulations being developed (Mesinger, Cen, Furlanetto, Hallman, Burns) • Papers submitted or in preparation (Carilli, Loeb, Lazio, Darling, Furlanetto) • Array Concept & Algorithm Development • Technology Development (Science Antenna) • Thermal-vac chamber constructed and in test (Burns, Hallman) • Helical antenna simulations underway; model antenna constructed (Bradley, Hewitt) • Polyimide-film antenna simulations underway; joint antenna+transmission line simulations being discussed (Stewart, Lazio, MacDowall)

13. Update from LUNAR-central • Five-minute overviews of Key Projects • Political Landscape • Augustine Report • Funding for SMD • Activities at NLSI-central • LUNAR contributions to NLSI Lunar Science Forum • NLSI postdoc program • LUNAR grants program • Monthly LUNAR webinars • Conferences & Workshops

14. Augustine Report • Insufficient funds to fly Shuttle until 2011, maintain ISS until 2020, and return to the Moon by 2020. • Viable exploration program is possible if NASA’s budget is increased by $3B/yr above FY10 budget profile. • If we explore, what is (are) our destination(s)?

16. Augustine Report • Moon First – Moon 1st destination beyond LEO by mid 2020’s, extend ISS to 2020, funds technology advancement, commercial vehicles to LEO. • Flexible Path – Beginning in early 2020’s: lunar fly-bys, visits to L2, NEOs, & possible Mars fly-bys; possible lunar surface return by mid to late 2020’s.

17. SMD Funding

18. Update from LUNAR-central • Five-minute overviews of Key Projects • Political Landscape • Augustine Report • Funding for SMD • Activities at NLSI-central • LUNAR contributions to NLSI Lunar Science Forum • NLSI postdoc program • LUNAR grants program • Monthly LUNAR webinars • Conferences & Workshops

19. Contributions of LUNAR to NLSI LunarScience Forum in July • Judd Bowman - 21 cm global signal: Earth-based constraints and implications for lunar observations. • Jack Burns - The NLSI Lunar University Network for Astrophysics Research (LUNAR): Exploring the Cosmos from the Moon. • Douglas Currie - A Lunar Laser Ranging Array for the 21st Century. • Adrienne Dove - LUNAR Road Trip: Excursion in a pressurized rover to emplace a farside radio telescope array near the South Pole. • Steven Furlanetto - Cosmology from the Moon. • Eric Hallman - The Lunar University Network for Astrophysics Research (LUNAR) Grants Program: Assessment of Astrophysics Enabled by a Return to the Moon. • Jacqueline Hewitt - The Lunar Array for Radio Cosmology (LARC). • Dayton Jones - Polar Long-Term Transient Survey. • Justin Kasper - Radio Heliophysics from the Moon. • Joseph Lazio - The Dark Ages Lunar Interferometer.

20. Updates from NLSI-central • NLSI remains stable and proactive. • Positive influence on Planetary Science Decadal has been a focus (≈8 white papers from NLSI team members, including one from LUNAR). • NLSI Postdoc Program • Link to NLSI on ORAU postdoc website soon • November 1 deadline for applications • NLSI monthly seminar series will start in September. • Two new NLSI international partners: Israel and Saudi Arabia. • Next in-person NLSI Executive Council meeting will be in Boulder, Nov. 9-11.

21. Update from LUNAR-central • Five-minute overviews of Key Projects • Political Landscape • Augustine Report • Funding for SMD • Activities at NLSI-central • LUNAR contributions to NLSI Lunar Science Forum • NLSI postdoc program • LUNAR grants program • Monthly LUNAR webinars • Conferences & Workshops

22. LUNAR Grants Program Progress Report

23. The LUNAR Grants Program • Study Grant program: $100k total per year • 4 - 5 proposals to be funded • Theory, Instrumentation and Concept Studies • Ideas uniquely enabled by the lunar surface and/or Constellation architecture

24. Update from LUNAR-central • Five-minute overviews of Key Projects • Political Landscape • Augustine Report • Funding for SMD • Activities at NLSI-central • LUNAR contributions to NLSI Lunar Science Forum • NLSI postdoc program • LUNAR grants program • Monthly LUNAR webinars • Conferences & Workshops

25. Agenda: September 21 • Welcoming Remarks • Update from LUNAR-central • Updates from Key Project Teams • Gravitational Physics & Lunar Structure via LLR • Radio Heliophysics • Education & Public Outreach • Overview of DREAM Team • Tours of LRO control room & Laser Ranging Facility • Group dinner

27. Agenda: September 22 • Updates from Key Project Teams • Low Frequency Astrophysics & Cosmology • Summary, Discussion & Action Items • Lunch & continued discussions

29. Laboratory Research at U. Colorado -- Protocols • Test roll-out of Kapton under lunar environmental conditions including 100 C to -150 C temperature variations and UV exposure. • Test Kapton film with embedded electronics in lunar environmental conditions.

30. New Vacuum Chamber Experimental Layout at the University of Colorado

31. Experimental Design For Kapton Roll-out Test

32. U. Colorado student research assistants Ricardo Alfaro and Laura Kruger

34. Discussion & Planning (from last March) • Executive Council of Steering Committee: Burns, Hallman, Duncan, Kasper, Currie, Lazio • Revised work plans/packages – due April 15th. • Ideas for Focus Groups: • Fundamental Physics & Geophysics (i.e., lunar interior) • Lunar Environmental Protection & Site Surveys (in conjunction with ESMD) • Assessment of roles of astronauts for lunar science • Applications of Constellation hardware for science • Commercial – science payloads on commercial flights to Moon • Data rates for science & relevance to lunar communications architecture • Drilling into the regolith (e.g., lunar laser ranging)

35. Discussion & Planning (from last March) • Lunar Science Forum at NLSI – possible attendees from LUNAR to include Burns, Hallman, Salas (Fiske Planetarium), Murphy, Currie, Kasper, Lazio, Furlanetto. • LUNAR monthly seminars. • Flight Opportunities: • ILN: includes lunar laser ranging in initial science definition • ILN: opportunities for polyimide antenna test? • Chandrayaan II: opportunity for polyimide antenna test and solar observations with lander? • SMEX: expect another SMEX announcement within the next few years. Possible proposal to fly a dipole aboard an orbiter to (1) quantify the low frequency environment on the farside and (2) attempt to detect a global cosmology signal from the EoR and the Dark Ages.

36. Discussion & Planning • Spring Meeting of Steering Committee: Cambridge in April? • Monthly LUNAR webinars • September 22 – J. Hewitt at GSFC • October 30 – S. Merkowitz at CU • November 5 – R. Vondrak at CU • March 11 - J. Burns at NRL • Publications – acknowledge NLSI & pass on publications to Jack • Visit to GSFC design center (new launch & lander options for the Moon) • Liaison to DREAM team – Justin & Bob • Review DREAM slides on concerns for lunar low frequency telescopes & electronics (Justin) • Continue to monitor the political situation, especially w/r to the Augustine Committee & President’s reaction. • NLSI Postdoc program – applications & applicants

38. Low Frequency Cosmology & Astrophysics Use the H I emission/absorption signatures against the CMB as cosmological & astrophysical probe Significant science return — Direct probe of this cosmic epoch NASA’s Exploration infrastructure opens avenue for science exploitation of lunar farside LUNAR Consortium engaged in crucial technology development Builds on conclusions of concept studies funded by Astrophysics Mission Concept Studies program

39. Year 1 Work Plan • Theoretical Tools • Analytical tools and simulations being developed (Mesinger, Cen, Furlanetto, Hallman, Burns) • Papers submitted or in preparation (Carilli, Loeb, Lazio, Darling, Furlanetto) • Array Concept & Algorithm Development • Technology Development (Science Antenna) • Thermal-vac chamber constructed and in test (Burns, Hallman) • Helical antenna simulations underway; model antenna constructed (Bradley, Hewitt) • Polyimide-film antenna simulations underway; joint antenna+transmission line simulations being discussed (Stewart, Lazio, MacDowall)

40. From R. Bradley • Current LUNAR activities: • I have been modeling a 137 MHz version of the tapered helical antenna using the CST Microwave Studio software. The 0.775-m diameter helix has 10 turns of #24 gauge wire for a height of 5.175 meters. The taper is about 13% of the diameter over this height. • I'm also exploring the possibility of using a planar ground screen rather then the fold-out flaps for the cavity. The flaps are a bit cumbersome to deploy. Early results from CST simulations of the planar fan-fold version indicate quite good performance. • I've designed and built a dual-polarization dipole reference antenna for 137 MHz. The antenna is very rugged and completely encapsulated in PVC tubing. A low noise amplifier (PAPER type) is also integrated into the design. CST was used to carefully model this antenna. • The in-situ antenna power pattern measurement system is being upgraded. It incorporates an Orbcomm "Subscriber Communicator" to extract satellite information (ID and transmit channel). An improved receiver was also constructed and housed in an EMC enclosure. We are currently taking data from the reference antenna with this new system. • Planned activities over the next six months: • Construct a second reference antenna and take differential measurements for calibration purposes. • Develop a proof-of-concept tapered helical antenna (design is based on the modeling). This construction will use a fixed PVC tubing tower. The goal is to evaluate the basic helical design and the associated ground structure. Initially it will be deployed as a replacement for one of the reference antennas in the power pattern measurement system. The helical will then be deployed in Green Bank for drift scan measurements (Galactic plane). • Develop the three-antenna triad using the PVC tower configuration. This will include amplifiers, receivers, and power combiners. This will be used to verify proper operation of the three-antenna array. Simulations and field measurements are planned. • Further the development of the deployable version once the basic helical design has been verified.

41. From A. Loeb Pritchard, J.R., Loeb, A., & Wyithe, J. S. B. 2009, “Constraining reionization using 21 cm observations in combination with CMB and Lyman-alpha forest data,” submitted to MNRAS; http://arxiv.org/abs/0908.3891

42. From S. Furlanetto Here is one interesting image (heating.jpg) from Andrei's code. The three panels show the 21 cm signal for three different prescriptions for the X-ray heating by black holes during the early stages of reionization (still 81% neutral). The interesting thing is how different the signals are - ranging from lots of weak absorption on the left to lots of strong emission on the right. So far as I know, this is the first "map" including this effect - everything else just made the simple assumption of the right panel. If you include this, the reference is Mesinger, Cen, & Furlanetto (in prep).

43. Year 1 Work Plan • Theoretical Tools • Burns, Hallman, & Furlanetto and a graduate student will assess of semi-analytical models of 21-cm signals, particularly with regard to global signals expected for a dipole experiment in lunar orbit. • Burns, Hallman, Furlanetto, & Norman will design a new large-scale cosmological N-body + gas hydrodynamics numerical simulation of the Dark Ages and/or EoR based upon evaluation of semi-analytical models. • Darling & Stocke will explore molecular and atomic line processes from both nearby galaxies and those at cosmological distances that would arise at low radio frequencies. • Burns, Hallman, and potentially a postdoctoral fellow, will conduct evaluation, modeling, and potential observations of very steep spectrum radio sources in galaxy clusters both nearby and cosmologically distant. • Taylor will develop some of the Secondary Astrophysics goals and explore how these will benefit from a lunar platform. • Lazio will develop some of the Secondary Astrophysics goals, specifically transients and extrasolar planets. • Furlanetto & Mesinger will modify analytic and semi-numeric methods currently tuned for use during reionization to the high redshifts of interest to the LRA. • Loeb will develop a computer code that which calculates the 21-cm power spectrum efficiently and at high precision for a set of input parameters; develop a Fisher-matrix code that provides constraints on cosmological parameters for a set of parameters defining a prescribed low-frequency observatory; and combine the above codes to a master code that will be able to determine the cosmological constraints achievable by a future low-frequency array on the Moon.

44. Year 1 Work Plan • Array Concept & Algorithm Development: • Taylor will consider the technical parameters needed to achieve the scientific aims of the project. • Lazio and potentially a postdoctoral fellow will assess what existing data might be suitable for testing algorithms or processing approaches for LRA data. • Technology Development (Science Antenna): • Burns & Hallman and undergraduate students will conduct environmental tests of polyimide film strips with deposited metallic antenna material. • Bradley, Villasenor, Williams (graduate student), & Hewitt will initiate the first year of a two-year effort directed toward refining and optimizing the electromagnetic performance of helical antennas. • Lazio, Stewart, Hicks, Weiler, & Jones, in consultation with MacDowall & Kasper (Radio Heliophysics), will model the performance of polyimide-film based antennas on the lunar surface.