PRIMA mission concept
Journal of Astronomical Telescopes Instruments and Systems, vol. 11, pp. 1–25
Abstract
The Astro2020 Decadal Survey recommended a new line of astrophysics observatories intermediate in scale between MIDEXs and Flagship-class observatories. In response, NASA created the Astrophysics Probe Explorer class and solicited proposals for the first generation of Probes. With a larger cost cap, Probes can achieve more ambitious science than SMEXs or MIDEXs and be implemented faster than Flagships—as frequently as one per decade. The PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics (PRIMA) is one of two Probe concepts selected by NASA for a concept study in 2024/2025, potentially leading to implementation and launch as early as 2031. PRIMA was designed for a broad range of astrophysics, from how planets assemble their atmospheres, to the coevolution of galaxies and black holes, to the evolving properties of dust and galactic metallicity over cosmic time. Seventy-five percent of PRIMA’s observing time will be allocated to guest observer observations and 25% allocated to principal investigator science; however, the principal investigator science data will be available promptly for guest investigator usage. The observatory features a 1.8-m diameter telescope cooled to 4.5 K with two science instruments: the Far-InfraRed Enhanced Survey Spectrometer (FIRESS) and the PRIMA imager (PRIMAger). FIRESS provides continuous spectral coverage from 24 to 235 μm, in two spectral resolution modes (R≥85 and R=4400(112 μm/λ)), with spectral mapping capability and order-of-magnitude sensitivity improvement over previous observatories. PRIMAger delivers similar sensitivity advances and first-of-its-kind far-infrared hyperspectral imaging for astrophysics with R∼8 from 25 to 84 μm, and polarimetry in four broadband filters from 80 to 261 μm. PRIMA’s science and technical motivation is outlined, its overall architecture is described, and its cryogenic payload and instruments, including the kinetic inductance detector arrays, and operations and observing modes, are summarized.
Authors 40
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Jason Glenn corresponding
Goddard Space Flight Center · National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Affiliation as printed
NASA Goddard Space Flight Ctr
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States
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California Institute of Technology · Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Affiliation as printed
Jet Propulsion Lab., Caltech
California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, United States
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California Institute of Technology · Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Affiliation as printed
Jet Propulsion Lab., Caltech
California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, United States
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California Institute of Technology · Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Affiliation as printed
Jet Propulsion Lab., Caltech
California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, United States
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University of Massachusetts Amherst
Affiliation as printed
Univ. of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts, Department of Astronomy, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States
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California Institute of Technology · Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Affiliation as printed
Jet Propulsion Lab., Caltech
California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, United States
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California Institute of Technology · Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Affiliation as printed
Jet Propulsion Lab., Caltech
California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, United States
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California Institute of Technology · Infrared Processing and Analysis Center
Affiliation as printed
IPAC, Caltech
Caltech, Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, Pasadena, California, United States
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Space Research Organisation Netherlands · Delft University of Technology
Affiliation as printed
Technische Univ. Delft
SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research (Netherlands)
TU Delft, Faculty of EEMCS, Delft, The Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Univ. of Connecticut
University of Connecticut, Department of Physics, Storrs, Connecticut, United States
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University of Maryland, College Park
Affiliation as printed
Univ. of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, Department of Astronomy, College Park, Maryland, United States
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Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Aix-Marseille Université · Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille
Affiliation as printed
Lab. d'Astrophysique de Marseille, Aix-Marseille Univ., Ctr. National d'Études Spatiales, CNRS
Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, CNES, Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille, Marseille Cedex 13, France
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California Institute of Technology · Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Affiliation as printed
Jet Propulsion Lab., Caltech
California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, United States
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Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Aix-Marseille Université · Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille
Affiliation as printed
Lab. d'Astrophysique de Marseille, Aix-Marseille Univ., Ctr. National d'Études Spatiales, CNRS
Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, CNES, Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille, Marseille Cedex 13, France
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Goddard Space Flight Center · Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio · National Institute for Astrophysics
Affiliation as printed
INAF - Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio
Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica: Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
NASA Goddard Space Flight Ctr. (United States)
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Goddard Space Flight Center · National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Affiliation as printed
NASA Goddard Space Flight Ctr
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States
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California Institute of Technology · Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Affiliation as printed
Jet Propulsion Lab., Caltech
California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, United States
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California Institute of Technology · Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Affiliation as printed
Jet Propulsion Lab., Caltech
California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, United States
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Goddard Space Flight Center · National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Affiliation as printed
NASA Goddard Space Flight Ctr
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States
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California Institute of Technology · Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Affiliation as printed
Jet Propulsion Lab., Caltech
California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, United States
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Goddard Space Flight Center · Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio · National Institute for Astrophysics
Affiliation as printed
INAF - Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio
Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica: Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
NASA Goddard Space Flight Ctr. (United States)
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California Institute of Technology · Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Affiliation as printed
Jet Propulsion Lab., Caltech
California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, United States
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Goddard Space Flight Center · Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Affiliation as printed
Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie
Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA), Heidelberg, Germany
NASA Goddard Space Flight Ctr. (United States)
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Space Research Organisation Netherlands
Affiliation as printed
SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research
SRON Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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California Institute of Technology · Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Affiliation as printed
Jet Propulsion Lab., Caltech
California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, United States
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Goddard Space Flight Center · National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Affiliation as printed
NASA Goddard Space Flight Ctr
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States
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Goddard Space Flight Center · Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Affiliation as printed
Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie
Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA), Heidelberg, Germany
NASA Goddard Space Flight Ctr. (United States)
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University of Kansas · University of Massachusetts Amherst
Affiliation as printed
The Univ. of Kansas
Univ. of Massachusetts Amherst (United States)
University of Kansas, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Lawrence, Kansas, United States
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California Institute of Technology · National Radio Astronomy Observatory · Infrared Processing and Analysis Center
Affiliation as printed
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
IPAC, Caltech (United States)
National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
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California Institute of Technology · Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Affiliation as printed
Jet Propulsion Lab., Caltech
California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, United States
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Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Goddard Space Flight Center · Université Paris Cité · Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives · Université Paris-Saclay · Astrophysique, Instrumentation et Modélisation
Affiliation as printed
Univ. Paris-Saclay, Univ. Paris Cité, CEA, AIM, CNRS
NASA Goddard Space Flight Ctr. (United States)
Université Paris-Saclay, Univ. Paris Cité, CEA, CNRS, AIM, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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Space Research Organisation Netherlands · University of Toledo
Affiliation as printed
The Univ. of Toledo
SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research (Netherlands)
The University of Toledo, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Toledo, Ohio, United States
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University of Connecticut · Flatiron Institute
Affiliation as printed
Flatiron Institute
Flatiron Institute, Center for Computational Astrophysics, New York, United States
Univ. of Connecticut (United States)
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Goddard Space Flight Center · National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Affiliation as printed
NASA Goddard Space Flight Ctr
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States
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Goddard Space Flight Center · National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Affiliation as printed
NASA Goddard Space Flight Ctr
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States
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University of Maryland, College Park · Cardiff University
Affiliation as printed
Cardiff Univ
Cardiff University, School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff, United Kingdom
Univ. of Maryland, College Park (United States)
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California Institute of Technology · Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Affiliation as printed
Jet Propulsion Lab., Caltech
California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, United States
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California Institute of Technology · Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Affiliation as printed
Jet Propulsion Lab., Caltech
California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, United States
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Affiliation as printed
BAE Systems, Inc
BAE Systems, Inc., Space & Mission Systems, Boulder, Colorado, United States
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Affiliation as printed
BAE Systems, Inc
BAE Systems, Inc., Space & Mission Systems, Boulder, Colorado, United States
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