宇宙黑暗时代探路者——鸿蒙计划

Discovering the Sky at the Longest Wavelength Mission——A Pathfinder for Exploring the Cosmic Dark Ages

低频射电探测任务构想——鸿蒙计划旨在利用多颗卫星绕月编队形成超长波天文观测阵列,在月球背面开展空间低频射电天文探测。其科学目标是高精度测量全天射电频谱,揭示宇宙黑暗时代与黎明的演化历史;实现首次高分辨率超长波巡天,打开最后一个电磁窗口;观测太阳和行星超长波活动,揭示空间环境相互作用规律。该任务将获得超长波频段全天空图像,获取超长波波段天文射电源的强度、频谱、分布等信息。这些科学数据对于探索宇宙黑暗时代和黎明时代、研究银河系星际介质、宇宙线起源与传播、河外射电星系、类星体和星系团的演化、太阳活动与行星磁场等,具有重要的科学价值。

In this paper we describe a low frequency radio astronomy mission known as the DSL project(also “Hongmeng Project” in Chinese). It is an interferometer array made up of a formation of satellites in a lunar orbit, which makes ultralong wavelength observations in the part of orbit behind the Moon. The scientific objectives include making high precision measurement of the global spectrum, probing the cosmic dawn and dark ages;realizing ultra-long wavelength sky survey with a high resolution for the first time, opening up the last unexplored electromagnetic window;monitoring the radio activity of the Sun and planets, analyzing their interactions in the interplanetary space. The mission will obtain the whole sky map in the ultralong wavelength, and provide information on the intensity, spectrum and distribution of ultralong wavelength radio sources. It has great scientific value for the exploration of the cosmic dark ages and cosmic dawn, and investigations on the interstellar medium, origin and propagation of cosmic rays, extragalactic radio galaxies and quasars, evolution of clusters and groups of galaxies,solar activities, and planetary magnetic field.