Characterizing the RF Performance of Lunar Crater Radio Telescope for 21 cm Cosmology

The Cosmic Dark Ages represent the period in the early evolution of the Universe immediately after the Big Bang. The 21-cm signal from the neutral hydrogen atoms is the only mechanism for us to understand this crucial phase. Due to cosmological redshift, this signal is now only observable in the 4.7-47 MHz frequency band, which is blocked from reaching the surface of the Earth by the ionosphere. To do this measurement, our concept, called Lunar Crater Radio Telescope (LCRT), proposes to suspend a wire mesh across a 1.3 km diameter crater to form a 350-m diameter parabolic reflector. A log-periodic antenna, suspended above the reflector at its focus, serves as the feed. Through an ongoing NIAC Phase II effort, the design of the telescope has been matured to TRL 2. Through this APRA proposal, we aim improve the TRL of LCRT’s detector from TRL 2 to TRL 4. One of the critical challenges is accurate calibration and characterization of the telescope performance, given the uncertainties in our understanding of the dielectric properties of the lunar regolith and subsurface structure in the crater. We therefore propose to execute the following four tasks: 1. Perform detailed RF simulations of our antenna design, incorporating the effects of the crater, and study the sensitivity of the antenna’s performance to variations in the geometry of the crater and the subsurface dielectric profile 2. Build sub-scale prototypes of the detector and carry out measurements in relevant environments to validate the simulation results 3. Quantify the effect of these variations on the accuracy of the retrieved 21-cm signal through our data processing and galactic foreground removal pipeline 4. Design optimal trajectories and quantify how calibration against an orbital beacon satellite can help reduce uncertainties in the performance of the antenna, post deployment on the lunar surface

The Astrophysics Research and Analysis program (APRA) supports suborbital and suborbital-class investigations, development of detectors and supporting technology, laboratory astrophysics, and limited ground-based observing. Basic research proposals in these areas are solicited for investigations that are relevant to NASA's programs in astronomy and astrophysics, including the entire range of photons, gravitational waves, and particle astrophysics. The emphasis of this solicitation is on technologies and investigations that advance NASA astrophysics missions and goals.

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