Abstract:
The Black Hole Explorer (BHEX) is a next-generation space very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) mission concept that will extend the ground-based Event Horizon Telescope into space. The Japanese community is poised to make major contributions to the mission, ranging from science to mission-critical instrumentation. Here we present the Japanese vision for the mission. A potential major technical contribution is providing key components for its sensitive tri-band receiving system, including SIS mixers at 230 and 345 GHz and a space-qualified multi-stage 4.5K cryocooler similar to that on JAXA’s Hitomi and XRISM satellites. The Japanese community envisions broad science cases spanning from various black hole physics/astrophysics explored with VLBI to molecular universe explored by the potential single-dish observing mode at radio frequencies to be explored for the first time with the BHEX mission.
Read on SPIE.org
