Technology Development for Balloon-borne and Space-Based Microwave Telescopes

PI Johanna Nagy is building a research program at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) that focuses on developing instrumentation for Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) experiments to understand the contents and evolution of the Universe. Her current program is centered around three major, complementary projects: SPIDER, Taurus, and CMB-S4. Nagy serves in leadership roles in all of these collaborations, which alongside other professional experiences, are enabling her to develop the skills necessary to lead future NASA missions. The Roman Technology Fellowship (RTF) funds provided by this award would be used to extend the current capabilities of Nagy's lab, providing equipment and personnel beyond what can be supported by her CWRU start-up funds and existing project grants. In the near term, this proposal would support the fabrication and commissioning a new cryogenic testbed for the development of microwave telescope instrumentation. In the longer term, this effort would allow the Nagy lab to continue addressing key technology gaps for future balloon-borne and spaced-based instruments and prepare the PI to lead future NASA missions. This work is highly relevant to the priorities of NASA's science mission directorate and directly addresses major goals from the most recent decadal survey.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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