Kavli Affiliate: Stephan Meyer
| First 5 Authors: Eric Mayotte, Eric Mayotte, , ,
| Summary:
POEMMA Balloon with Radio (PBR) is a NASA super-pressure balloon mission
building toward the proposed Probe Of Extreme Multi-Messenger Astrophysics
(POEMMA) dual satellite mission. In its planned 2027 launch, PBR will study
Ultra-High-Energy Cosmic Rays, Neutrinos, and High-Altitude Horizontal
Airshowers from 33 km above the Earth. By operating at balloon altitudes, PBR
will provide a novel vantage point to study air-shower physics while offering
competitive instantaneous exposure to neutrinos from transient astrophysical
phenomena. The payload’s optical instrument is a 0.95 m$^2$ aperture hybrid
Schmidt telescope with a 3.81 m$^2$ segmented mirror focusing light onto a
Fluorescence Camera and a bi-focalized Cherenkov Camera. The payload will also
feature a Radio Instrument consisting of two sinuous antennas based on the
Payload for Ultrahigh Energy Observations (PUEO) low-frequency instrument. A
combined gamma ray/x-ray detector and IR cloud camera round out the
instrumentation package, meaning PBR will be the first multi-hybrid
balloon-borne multi-messenger observatory flown. This extensive instrumentation
must be combined into a radio quiet payload that satisfies the scientific needs
and can operate in near vacuum at extreme temperatures, all while meeting NASA
safety requirements and weighing no more than 3000 lbs (1361 kg). Accomplishing
these tasks together will mark a significant step toward establishing
technological readiness for the POEMMA satellite mission. We present an
overview of PBR’s mechanical and optical systems, additionally detailing our
strategies to mitigate electromagnetic interference for the radio instrument
and prepare for the harsh near-space environment.
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