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Significance: World-class thin grazing-angle X-ray mirror technology that would enable the next X-ray Great Observatory
Project Title: Next Generation X-ray Optics: High Resolution, Light Weight, and Low Cost
PI: Zhang, William (GSFC)
Significance: Highest-resolution X-ray transmission grating technology that could fly on the next X-ray Great Observatory
Project Title: Technology Maturation for a High-Sensitivity and High-Resolving-Power X-ray Spectrometer
PI: Mark Schattenburg (MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research)
Co-I: Ralf Heilmann
Significance: Demonstrates manufacturability of highest-resolution X-ray transmission grating technology that could fly on the next X-ray Great Observatory
Project Title: Readying X-ray Gratings and Optics for Space Applications: Manufacturability and Alignment
PI: Randall Smith (SAO)
Significance: Low-noise detectors are crucial for future missions
Project Title: A Single-Photon- Sensing and Photon-Number- Resolving Detector for NASA Missions
PI: Don Figer (RIT)
Significance: Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) polarimetry is crucial for understanding early universe physics. This project aims to ready NASA for the Inflation Probe identified by the 2020 Decadal Survey.
Project Title: Superconducting Detectors for CMB Polarimetry in PICO
PI: Roger O'Brient (JPL/Caltech)
Significance: Advanced X-ray detectors may enable the next X-ray Probe or Great Observatory
Project Title: Extremely Low-noise, High Frame-rate X-ray Image Sensors for Strategic Astrophysics Missions
PI: Mark Bautz (MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research)
Significance: High-multiplexing-factor readouts may enable missions such as the next X-ray Great Observatory
Project Title: Microwave Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (SQUID) Multiplexing for Future X-ray Astrophysics Missions
PI: Douglas Bennett (NIST)
Significance: This advanced sub-Kelvin cooling technology may enable multiple future strategic missions
Project Title: Development of ultra-low-temperature Continuous Adiabatic Demagnetization Refrigerator (CADR) with a Continuous Intermediate Stage for Heat Intercept
PI: Mark Kimball (GSFC)
Significance: Advanced far-IR detectors may enable the next Far-IR Great Observatory
Project Title: Demonstrating Large, Low-Noise, Transition-Edge-Sensor Arrays for Future Far-IR Space Missions
PI: Johannes Staguhn (JHU & GSFC)
Significance: High far-UV reflectance is hindered by oxidation of aluminum mirrors; preventing it may enable future far-UV missions
Project Title: Advanced Aluminum Mirrors with Passivated LiF for Environmentally Stable 1-m-Class UV Space Telescopes
PI: Manuel Quijada (GSFC)
Significance: Ultra-high resolution general astrophysics observations require that the next IR/Optical/UV Great Observatory be diffraction- limited at 500 nm or better, this requires a primary mirror whose gravity-sag is known absolutely to a few nanometers rms.
Project Title: UV/Optical to Far-IR Mirror and Telescope Technology
PI: H. Philip Stahl (MSFC)
Significance: May enable future Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) missions, e.g. LiteBIRD
Project Title: Technology Development for LiteBIRD and other CMB Missions
PI: Adrian T. Lee (UC Berkeley)
Significance: May enable sparse-field multi-object spectroscopy for future strategic and other missions
Project Title: Scalable Microshutter Systems for UV, Visible, and IR Spectroscopy
PI: Paul Scowen (GSFC)
Significance: May enable UV/Visible light detection for future strategic missions such as an IR/O/UV Great Observatory
Project Title: High-Performance Sealed-Tube Cross-Strip (XS) Photon-Counting Sensors for UV-Vis Astrophysics Instruments
PI: Oswald Siegmund (UC Berkeley)
Significance: Future strategic X-ray observatories require soft X-ray (sub-keV) spectral response close to the Fano limit over large detector areas and for multiple detectors
Project Title: Optimized Soft X-ray Sensors for Strategic X-ray Astrophysics Missions: Achieving TRL 5
PI: Christopher Leitz (MIT/LL)
Significance: New broadband, scalable, and generalizable far-IR detector technology with compact and efficient data acquisition applicable to future NASA missions
Project Title: Far-IR Detector Solutions for Low Noise, Large Format, Direct Absorption Kinetic Inductance Detector Array
PI: Jason Austermann (NIST)
Significance: Ultra-low-noise detectors may enable spectroscopy of extrasolar planets
Project Title: Photon-Counting Near-IR Linear-mode Avalanche-Photo-Diode (LmAPD) Arrays for Ultra-low Background Space Observations
PI: Michael Bottom (U. of Hawaii)
Significance: Four-side-buttable low- power readout chips may enable future far-UV missions with large focal planes
Project Title: Large-Format, High-Dynamic- Range UV detector using MCPs and Timepix4 readouts
PI: John Vallerga (UC Berkeley)
Significance: Astro2020 science goals require multi-gigapixel mosaic focal planes with large-format CMOS detectors (8kx8k), low-noise (< 2.5 e-), small pixels (5-10 μm), broadband UV/Optical/IR response (>50% Quantum Efficiency, QE), and visible-blind near-UV detectors with high QE for 200-400 nm
Project Title: High Performance Far-UV, Near-UV, and UV/Optical CMOS Imagers
PI: Michael Hoenk (JPL)
Significance: Advancing time-domain multiplexing (TDM) readout for large-format Transition- Edge-Sensing (TES) bolometers could enable or enhance the next far-IR Great Observatory
Project Title: Advancing Readout of Large-Format Far-IR Transition-Edge Sensor Arrays
PI: Karwan Rostem (GSFC)
Significance: Ultra-stability and - precision (~10 pm) may enable the next IR/optical/UV Great Observatory
Project Title: Ultra-Stable Structures: Development and Characterization Using Spatial Dynamic Metrology
PI: Babak Saif (GSFC)
Significance: Large-format arrays of sensitive far-IR detectors will enable space-based spectroscopy many orders of magnitude more sensitive than previous facilities
Project Title: Ultrasensitive Far-IR Kinetic Inductance Detector (KID) Arrays for Space
PI: Steven Hailey-Dunsheath (California Institute of Technology)
Significance: Very-low-blaze angle (< ~1 deg) UV gratings enable spectroscopy for missions such as FORTIS, as well as Explorers, Probes, and Flagships like the Habitable Worlds Observatory
Project Title: UV Spectroscopy for the Next Decade Enabled Through Nanofabrication Techniques
PI: Randall McEntaffer (PSU)
Significance: Extremely sensitive far-IR detectors may enable future missions
Project Title: Ultrasensitive Far-IR Kinetic Inductance Detector (KID) Arrays: Maturation for Flight
PI: C. Matt Bradford (JPL)
Significance: Advanced coatings may enable future far-UV missions
Project Title: High-Performance, Stable, and Scalable UV Aluminum Mirror Coatings Using ALD
PI: John Hennessy (JPL)