The Japanese Vision for the Black Hole Explorer Mission
Abstract
The Black Hole Explorer (BHEX) is a next-generation space very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) mission concept that will extend the ground-based millimeter/submillimeter arrays into space. The mission, closely aligned with the science priorities of the Japanese VLBI community, involves an active engagement of this community in the development of the mission, resulting in the formation of the Black Hole Explorer Japan Consortium. Here we present the current Japanese vision for the mission, ranging from scientific objectives to instrumentation. The Consortium anticipates a wide range of scientific investigations, from diverse black hole physics and astrophysics studied through the primary VLBI mode, to the molecular universe explored via a potential single-dish observation mode in the previously unexplored 50-70\,GHz band that would make BHEX the highest-sensitivity explorer ever of molecular oxygen. A potential major contribution for the onboard instrument involves supplying essential elements for its high-sensitivity dual-band receiving system, which includes a broadband 300\,GHz SIS mixer and a space-certified multi-stage 4.5K cryocooler akin to those used in the Hitomi and XRISM satellites by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Additionally, the Consortium explores enhancing and supporting BHEX operations through the use of millimeter/submillimeter facilities developed by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, coupled with a network of laser communication stations operated by the National Institute of Information and Communication Technology.
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Cite
@article{arxiv.2406.09516,
title = {The Japanese Vision for the Black Hole Explorer Mission},
author = {Kazunori Akiyama and Kotaro Niinuma and Kazuhiro Hada and Akihiro Doi and Yoshiaki Hagiwara and Aya E. Higuchi and Mareki Honma and Tomohisa Kawashima and Dimitar Kolev and Shoko Koyama and Sho Masui and Ken Ohsuga and Hidetoshi Sano and Hideki Takami and Yuh Tsunetoe and Yoshinori Uzawa and Takuya Akahori and Yuto Akiyama and Peter Galison and Takayuki J. Hayashi and Tomoya Hirota and Makoto Inoue and Yuhei Iwata and Michael D. Johnson and Motoki Kino and Yutaro Kofuji and Yosuke Mizuno and Kotaro Moriyama and Hiroshi Nagai and Kenta Nakamura and Shota Notsu and Fumie Ono and Yoko Oya and Tomoaki Oyama and Hannah Rana and Hiromi Saida and Ryo Saito and Yoshihiko Saito and Mahito Sasada and Satoko Sawada-Satoh and Mikiya M. Takahashi and Mieko Takamura and Edward Tong and Hiroyuki Tsuji and Shogo Yoshioka and Yoshimasa Watanabe},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2406.09516},
year = {2024}
}
Comments
Submitted to SPIE Conference Series, 17 pages for the main text, 33 pages for the references, 4 figures, SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation 2024