The Black Hole Explorer: Astrophysics Mission Concept Engineering Study Report

Eliad Peretz; Peter Kurczynski; Michael D. Johnson; Janice Houston; Tirupati Kumara Sridharan; Jade Wang; Peter Galison; Ronald Gamble; Daniel Marrone; Scott Noble; Gary Melnick; Leonid Petrov; Hannah Rana; Kari Haworth; Sheperd S. Doeleman; Sara Issaoun; Shahar Hadar; Alexandru Lupsasca; Edward Tong; Kazunori Akiyama; Ranjani Srinivasan; Dan Boroson; Guangning Yang; Tiffany Hoerbelt; Jeffrey Small; Mareki Honma; Bryan Bilyeu; Ed Canavan; Katia Shtyrkova; Robert Lafon; Lenny Paritsky; Laura C. Sinclair; Mark Silver; Leonid Gurvits; Yuri Kovalev; Robert Lehmensiek; Hua Jiao; Lindy Blackburn; Alexandra Brosius; Rick Butler; Andrew Chael; Dominic Chang; Koushik Chatterjee; Peter Cheimets; Daniel D’Orazio; Thomas Essinger-Hileman; Vincent Fish; Garret Fitzpatrick; Charles Gammie; Zachary Gelles; Michael Hecht; Jens Kauffmann; Jared Lucey; Chung Pei Ma; Mark Matsumura; Daniel Palumbo; Dominic Pesce; Jeff Piepmeier; Christopher J. Roberts; Freek Roelofs; Paul Tiede; Jaye Verniero; Maciek Wielgus; Ed Wollack; George N. Wong; Kelsey Gilchrist; Kayla Carmical; Andrew Lewis; Maya Wertheim; Keshet Shavit

doi:10.1117/12.3019010

The Black Hole Explorer: Astrophysics Mission Concept Engineering Study Report

Eliad Peretz, Peter Kurczynski, Michael D. Johnson, Janice Houston, Tirupati Kumara Sridharan, Jade Wang, Peter Galison, Ronald Gamble, Daniel Marrone, Scott Noble, Gary Melnick, Leonid Petrov, Hannah Rana, Kari Haworth, Sheperd S. Doeleman, Sara Issaoun, Shahar Hadar, Alexandru Lupsasca, Edward Tong, Kazunori AkiyamaRanjani Srinivasan, Dan Boroson, Guangning Yang, Tiffany Hoerbelt, Jeffrey Small, Mareki Honma, Bryan Bilyeu, Ed Canavan, Katia Shtyrkova, Robert Lafon, Lenny Paritsky, Laura C. Sinclair, Mark Silver, Leonid Gurvits, Yuri Kovalev, Robert Lehmensiek, Hua Jiao, Lindy Blackburn, Alexandra Brosius, Rick Butler, Andrew Chael, Dominic Chang, Koushik Chatterjee, Peter Cheimets, Daniel D’Orazio, Thomas Essinger-Hileman, Vincent Fish, Garret Fitzpatrick, Charles Gammie, Zachary Gelles, Michael Hecht, Jens Kauffmann, Jared Lucey, Chung Pei Ma, Mark Matsumura, Daniel Palumbo, Dominic Pesce, Jeff Piepmeier, Christopher J. Roberts, Freek Roelofs, Paul Tiede, Jaye Verniero, Maciek Wielgus, Ed Wollack, George N. Wong, Kelsey Gilchrist, Kayla Carmical, Andrew Lewis, Maya Wertheim, Keshet Shavit

Astronomy

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

The Black Hole Explorer (BHEX) mission will enable the study of the fine photon ring structure, aiming to reveal the clear universal signatures of multiple photon orbits and true tests of general relativity, while also giving astronomers access to a much greater population of black hole shadows. Spacecraft orbits can sample interferometric Fourier spacings that are inaccessible from the ground, providing unparalleled angular resolution for the most detailed spatial studies of accretion and photon orbits and better time resolution. The BHEX mission concept provides space Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) at submillimeter wavelengths measurements to study black holes in coordination with the Event Horizon Telescope and other radio telescopes. This report presents the BHEX engineering goals, objectives and TRL analysis for a selection of the BHEX subsystems. This work aims to lay some of the groundwork for a near-term Explorers class mission proposal.

Original language	English (US)
Title of host publication	Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024
Subtitle of host publication	Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave
Editors	Laura E. Coyle, Shuji Matsuura, Marshall D. Perrin
Publisher	SPIE
ISBN (Electronic)	9781510675070
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3019010
State	Published - 2024
Event	Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave - Yokohama, Japan Duration: Jun 16 2024 → Jun 22 2024

Publication series

Name	Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
Volume	13092
ISSN (Print)	0277-786X
ISSN (Electronic)	1996-756X

Conference

Conference	Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave
Country/Territory	Japan
City	Yokohama
Period	6/16/24 → 6/22/24

Keywords

BHEX
Black Hole
Explorers Program
Mission Concept
Radio Emissions
The Black Hole Explorer
TRL
VLBI

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
Condensed Matter Physics
Computer Science Applications
Applied Mathematics
Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Access to Document

10.1117/12.3019010

Cite this

Peretz, E., Kurczynski, P., Johnson, M. D., Houston, J., Sridharan, T. K., Wang, J., Galison, P., Gamble, R., Marrone, D., Noble, S., Melnick, G., Petrov, L., Rana, H., Haworth, K., Doeleman, S. S., Issaoun, S., Hadar, S., Lupsasca, A., Tong, E., ... Shavit, K. (2024). The Black Hole Explorer: Astrophysics Mission Concept Engineering Study Report. In L. E. Coyle, S. Matsuura, & M. D. Perrin (Eds.), Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave Article 130922F (Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering; Vol. 13092). SPIE. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3019010

The Black Hole Explorer: Astrophysics Mission Concept Engineering Study Report. / Peretz, Eliad; Kurczynski, Peter; Johnson, Michael D. et al.
Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave. ed. / Laura E. Coyle; Shuji Matsuura; Marshall D. Perrin. SPIE, 2024. 130922F (Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering; Vol. 13092).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution

Peretz, E, Kurczynski, P, Johnson, MD, Houston, J, Sridharan, TK, Wang, J, Galison, P, Gamble, R, Marrone, D, Noble, S, Melnick, G, Petrov, L, Rana, H, Haworth, K, Doeleman, SS, Issaoun, S, Hadar, S, Lupsasca, A, Tong, E, Akiyama, K, Srinivasan, R, Boroson, D, Yang, G, Hoerbelt, T, Small, J, Honma, M, Bilyeu, B, Canavan, E, Shtyrkova, K, Lafon, R, Paritsky, L, Sinclair, LC, Silver, M, Gurvits, L, Kovalev, Y, Lehmensiek, R, Jiao, H, Blackburn, L, Brosius, A, Butler, R, Chael, A, Chang, D, Chatterjee, K, Cheimets, P, D’Orazio, D, Essinger-Hileman, T, Fish, V, Fitzpatrick, G, Gammie, C, Gelles, Z, Hecht, M, Kauffmann, J, Lucey, J, Ma, CP, Matsumura, M, Palumbo, D, Pesce, D, Piepmeier, J, Roberts, CJ, Roelofs, F, Tiede, P, Verniero, J, Wielgus, M, Wollack, E, Wong, GN, Gilchrist, K, Carmical, K, Lewis, A, Wertheim, M & Shavit, K 2024, The Black Hole Explorer: Astrophysics Mission Concept Engineering Study Report. in LE Coyle, S Matsuura & MD Perrin (eds), Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave., 130922F, Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering, vol. 13092, SPIE, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave, Yokohama, Japan, 6/16/24. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3019010

Peretz E, Kurczynski P, Johnson MD, Houston J, Sridharan TK, Wang J et al. The Black Hole Explorer: Astrophysics Mission Concept Engineering Study Report. In Coyle LE, Matsuura S, Perrin MD, editors, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave. SPIE. 2024. 130922F. (Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering). doi: 10.1117/12.3019010

Peretz, Eliad ; Kurczynski, Peter ; Johnson, Michael D. et al. / The Black Hole Explorer : Astrophysics Mission Concept Engineering Study Report. Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave. editor / Laura E. Coyle ; Shuji Matsuura ; Marshall D. Perrin. SPIE, 2024. (Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering).

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abstract = "The Black Hole Explorer (BHEX) mission will enable the study of the fine photon ring structure, aiming to reveal the clear universal signatures of multiple photon orbits and true tests of general relativity, while also giving astronomers access to a much greater population of black hole shadows. Spacecraft orbits can sample interferometric Fourier spacings that are inaccessible from the ground, providing unparalleled angular resolution for the most detailed spatial studies of accretion and photon orbits and better time resolution. The BHEX mission concept provides space Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) at submillimeter wavelengths measurements to study black holes in coordination with the Event Horizon Telescope and other radio telescopes. This report presents the BHEX engineering goals, objectives and TRL analysis for a selection of the BHEX subsystems. This work aims to lay some of the groundwork for a near-term Explorers class mission proposal.",

keywords = "BHEX, Black Hole, Explorers Program, Mission Concept, Radio Emissions, The Black Hole Explorer, TRL, VLBI",

author = "Eliad Peretz and Peter Kurczynski and Johnson, {Michael D.} and Janice Houston and Sridharan, {Tirupati Kumara} and Jade Wang and Peter Galison and Ronald Gamble and Daniel Marrone and Scott Noble and Gary Melnick and Leonid Petrov and Hannah Rana and Kari Haworth and Doeleman, {Sheperd S.} and Sara Issaoun and Shahar Hadar and Alexandru Lupsasca and Edward Tong and Kazunori Akiyama and Ranjani Srinivasan and Dan Boroson and Guangning Yang and Tiffany Hoerbelt and Jeffrey Small and Mareki Honma and Bryan Bilyeu and Ed Canavan and Katia Shtyrkova and Robert Lafon and Lenny Paritsky and Sinclair, {Laura C.} and Mark Silver and Leonid Gurvits and Yuri Kovalev and Robert Lehmensiek and Hua Jiao and Lindy Blackburn and Alexandra Brosius and Rick Butler and Andrew Chael and Dominic Chang and Koushik Chatterjee and Peter Cheimets and Daniel D{\textquoteright}Orazio and Thomas Essinger-Hileman and Vincent Fish and Garret Fitzpatrick and Charles Gammie and Zachary Gelles and Michael Hecht and Jens Kauffmann and Jared Lucey and Ma, {Chung Pei} and Mark Matsumura and Daniel Palumbo and Dominic Pesce and Jeff Piepmeier and Roberts, {Christopher J.} and Freek Roelofs and Paul Tiede and Jaye Verniero and Maciek Wielgus and Ed Wollack and Wong, {George N.} and Kelsey Gilchrist and Kayla Carmical and Andrew Lewis and Maya Wertheim and Keshet Shavit",

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AU - Houston, Janice

AU - Sridharan, Tirupati Kumara

AU - Wang, Jade

AU - Galison, Peter

AU - Gamble, Ronald

AU - Marrone, Daniel

AU - Noble, Scott

AU - Melnick, Gary

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AU - Lupsasca, Alexandru

AU - Tong, Edward

AU - Akiyama, Kazunori

AU - Srinivasan, Ranjani

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AU - Yang, Guangning

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AU - Lafon, Robert

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AU - Gurvits, Leonid

AU - Kovalev, Yuri

AU - Lehmensiek, Robert

AU - Jiao, Hua

AU - Blackburn, Lindy

AU - Brosius, Alexandra

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AU - Chael, Andrew

AU - Chang, Dominic

AU - Chatterjee, Koushik

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AU - D’Orazio, Daniel

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PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - The Black Hole Explorer (BHEX) mission will enable the study of the fine photon ring structure, aiming to reveal the clear universal signatures of multiple photon orbits and true tests of general relativity, while also giving astronomers access to a much greater population of black hole shadows. Spacecraft orbits can sample interferometric Fourier spacings that are inaccessible from the ground, providing unparalleled angular resolution for the most detailed spatial studies of accretion and photon orbits and better time resolution. The BHEX mission concept provides space Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) at submillimeter wavelengths measurements to study black holes in coordination with the Event Horizon Telescope and other radio telescopes. This report presents the BHEX engineering goals, objectives and TRL analysis for a selection of the BHEX subsystems. This work aims to lay some of the groundwork for a near-term Explorers class mission proposal.

AB - The Black Hole Explorer (BHEX) mission will enable the study of the fine photon ring structure, aiming to reveal the clear universal signatures of multiple photon orbits and true tests of general relativity, while also giving astronomers access to a much greater population of black hole shadows. Spacecraft orbits can sample interferometric Fourier spacings that are inaccessible from the ground, providing unparalleled angular resolution for the most detailed spatial studies of accretion and photon orbits and better time resolution. The BHEX mission concept provides space Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) at submillimeter wavelengths measurements to study black holes in coordination with the Event Horizon Telescope and other radio telescopes. This report presents the BHEX engineering goals, objectives and TRL analysis for a selection of the BHEX subsystems. This work aims to lay some of the groundwork for a near-term Explorers class mission proposal.

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KW - Black Hole

KW - Explorers Program

KW - Mission Concept

KW - Radio Emissions

KW - The Black Hole Explorer

KW - TRL

KW - VLBI

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DO - 10.1117/12.3019010

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AN - SCOPUS:85197709363

T3 - Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering

BT - Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024

A2 - Coyle, Laura E.

A2 - Matsuura, Shuji

A2 - Perrin, Marshall D.

PB - SPIE

Y2 - 16 June 2024 through 22 June 2024

ER -

The Black Hole Explorer: Astrophysics Mission Concept Engineering Study Report

Abstract

Publication series

Conference

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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