Linking the Solar System and Extrasolar Planetary Systems with Radar Astronomy: Infrastructure for "Ground Truth" Comparison

TL;DR

This paper discusses the importance of planetary radar infrastructure in studying solar system bodies and how it serves as a foundation for comparing with extrasolar planetary systems, emphasizing the need for sustained technical development.

Contribution

It summarizes the current state of planetary radar infrastructure and proposes technical developments to enhance comparative studies of solar and extrasolar planets.

Findings

Existing radar infrastructure enables unique solar system measurements.

Ground truth data from solar system bodies supports extrasolar planet studies.

Sustained funding and modest investments can improve system reliability.

Abstract

Planetary radars have obtained unique science measurements about solar system bodies and they have provided orbit determinations allowing spacecraft to be navigated throughout the solar system. Notable results have been on Venus, Earth's "twin," and small bodies, which are the constituents of the Sun's debris disk. Together, these results have served as "ground truth" from the solar system for studies of extrasolar planets. The Nation's planetary radar infrastructure, indeed the world's planetary radar infrastructure, is based on astronomical and deep space telecommunications infrastructure, namely the radar transmitters at the Arecibo Observatory and the Goldstone Solar System Radar, part of NASA's Deep Space Network, along with the Green Bank Telescope as a receiving element. This white paper summarizes the state of this infrastructure and potential technical developments that should be sustained in order to enable continued studies of solar system bodies for comparison and contrast with extrasolar planetary systems. Because the planetary radar observations leverage existing infrastructure largely developed for other purposes, only operations and maintenance funding is required, though modest investments could yield more reliable systems; in the case of the Green Bank Telescope, additional funding for operations is required.

Tables

Table 1. Table 1: Planetary Radar Infrastructure

System	Antenna	Transmitter	Transmit Frequency
		Power	Wavelength
Arecibo Planetary Radar	305 m diameter	900 kW	2.38 GHz
			12.3 cm
Goldstone Solar System Radar	70 m diameter	450 kW	8.56 GHz
			3.5 cm
Green Bank Telescope	100 m diameter	500 kW	32 GHz
		proposed	1 cm
Southern Hemisphere	70 m diameter transmit $+$50 m equivalent receive	20 kW current	7.19 GHz
		80 kW (2021)	4.2 cm

Equations

$$\mathrm{S}/\mathrm{N}\propto \frac{G_{\mathrm{RX}}{P}_{\mathrm{TX}}{G}_{\mathrm{TX}}}{R^4},$$

Full text

Linking the Solar System and Extrasolar Planetary Systems with Radar Astronomy

Infrastructure for “Ground Truth” Comparison

Authors: Joseph Lazio (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology), Amber Bonsall (Green Bank Observatory), Marina Brozovic (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology), Jon D. Giorgini (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology), Karen O’Neil (Green Bank Observatory) Edgard Rivera-Valentin (Lunar & Planetary Institute), Anne K. Virkki (Arecibo Observatory)

Endorsers: Francisco Cordova (Arecibo Observatory; Univ. Central Florida), Michael Busch (SETI Institute), Bruce A. Campbell (Smithsonian Institution), P. G. Edwards (CSIRO Astronomy & Space Science), Yanga R. Fernandez (Univ. Central Florida), Ed Kruzins (Canberra Deep Space Communications Center), Noemi Pinilla-Alonso (Florida Space Institute-Univ. Central Florida), Martin A. Slade (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology), F. C. F. Venditti (Arecibo Observatory)

Point of Contact: Joseph Lazio, 818-354-4198; Joseph.Lazio@jpl.caltech.edu

(Left) Planetary radar image of Dione Regio on Venus. White arrows indicate radar-bright features that potentially represent debris from previous volcanic eruptions on Earth’s twin planet. (Campbell et al., 2017) (Right) Planetary radar image of the near-Earth asteroid 2017 BQ6, acquired by the Goldstone Solar System Radar, showing sharp facets on this object. Near-Earth asteroids display a range of surface features, from which evolution and collisional processes occurring in the Sun’s debris disk can be constrained.

Part of this research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Arecibo Planetary Radar Program is supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Near-Earth Object Observations Program through Grant No. NNX13AQ46G awarded to Universities Space Research Association and through grants no. 80NSSC18K1098 and 80NSSC19K0523 awarded to the University of Central Florida. The Arecibo Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by University of Central Florida, Yang Enterprises, Inc., and Universidad Ana G. Méndez. The Green Bank Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation and is operated by Associated Universities, Inc. Some of the information presented in this white paper is pre-decisional and is for discussion and planning purposes only.

Planetary radars have obtained unique science measurements about solar system bodies and they have provided orbit determinations allowing spacecraft to be navigated throughout the solar system. Notable results have been on Venus, Earth’s “twin,” and small bodies, which are the constituents of the Sun’s debris disk. Together, these results have served as “ground truth” from the solar system for studies of extrasolar planets. The Nation’s planetary radar infrastructure, indeed the world’s planetary radar infrastructure, is based on astronomical and deep space telecommunications infrastructure, namely the radar transmitters at the Arecibo Observatory and the Goldstone Solar System Radar, part of NASA’s Deep Space Network, along with the Green Bank Telescope as a receiving element. This white paper summarizes the state of this infrastructure and potential technical developments that should be sustained in order to enable continued studies of solar system bodies for comparison and contrast with extrasolar planetary systems. Because the planetary radar observations leverage existing infrastructure largely developed for other purposes, only operations and maintenance funding is required, though modest investments could yield more reliable systems; in the case of the Green Bank Telescope, additional funding for operations is required.

This white paper complements the “GBT Planetary Radar System” white paper by A. Bonsall et al.

Key Science Goals and Objectives

Observations of solar system bodies define “ground truth” for interpreting observations and developing models of extrasolar planets. We summarize briefly some of the linkages between radar observations of solar system bodies and extrasolar planetary systems. Further details are in the science white papers by Campbell et al. (2019a), Margot et al. (2019), Milam et al. (2019), and Taylor et al. (2019).

An essential distinction for the future studies of terrestrial-mass extrasolar planets is whether they are “Earth-like” or “Venus-like” (or “other”!). That these otherwise “twin” planets have such different properties (atmospheric composition, surface conditions, magnetic field strengths, …) is a vivid illustration that measurements of a planet’s mass, radius, and bulk density are far from sufficient to describe terrestrial-mass planets. Radar observations at centimeter wavelengths are one of the few means to probe to the surface of Venus, due to the high atmospheric optical depth. Moreover, planetary radar observations are vital to characterizing the surface of Venus in a cost-effective manner; data quality is surpassed only by dedicated missions costing in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Planetary radar measurements provide crucial information about the current interior properties of Venus, with implications both for models of its formation and for the properties of extrasolar planets. Key measurements include determining rotational variations and the extent of vulcanism. From rotational variations, one can constrain the planet’s moment of inertia, from which the interior mass distribution can be inferred (Margot et al., 2019; Campbell et al., 2019b). Standard approaches to determining the interior mass distribution, such as measurements of seismic activity from surface seismometers, are not feasible, and radar measurements are one of the few means of obtaining this information. The extent of vulcanism, which may be linked with seismic activity and tectonics, is an open question. By obtaining global maps, and determining the extent of new surface features, planetary radar is one of the few approaches to stringent constraints on the extent of current volcanoes on Venus (Campbell et al., 2019a).

Planetary radar measurements provide precise orbit determinations and shape and rotational state information about small bodies, most notably asteroids (Milam et al., 2019; Taylor et al., 2019). In the case of the solar system, the individual constituents of the Sun’s debris disk can be studied, in contrast to the case for extrasolar planetary systems for which only integrated properties can be determined. The orbits and characteristics of small bodies constrain the processes that have shaped the Sun’s debris disk, including the extent of collisions and gravitational interactions (resonances) with the planets.

Technical Overview

During a planetary radar experiment, a signal with predefined characteristics is created and transmitted. The signal interacts with and is modified by the object. The changes observed when the reflected signal is received on the ground are then used to make inferences about the object that modified the signal: its size, shape, spin, and reflectivity, which tells us about surface properties, constrains gravity, and sometimes composition.

Figure 1 and Table 1 illustrate the international capability for conducting the desired scientific observations; Naidu et al. (2016) provide further technical details and comparisons between the various facilities. Notably, most of this observational capability is based in the United States. The Goldstone Solar System Radar (GSSR), installed on the 70 m Deep Space Station-14 (DSS-14) antenna at the DSN’s Goldstone site, part of NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN), and the Arecibo Planetary Radar at the 305 m-diameter Arecibo Observatory consist of antennas equipped with both powerful transmitters and receivers. The Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) is a sensitive receiving antenna, though it does not have a transmitter (currently). In the Southern Hemisphere, there is a nascent capability, illustrated by a combination of the bistatic combination of the 70 m Deep Space Station-43 (DSS-43) antenna at the DSN’s Canberra Complex equipped with a 20 kW transmitter and the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA). Not shown is the 34 m DSS-13 antenna at the DSN’s Goldstone Complex equipped with an 80 kW transmitter, which can be used in a bistatic manner with the GBT and Arecibo. For the Southern Hemisphere, in some cases, a 34 m DSN antenna at the Canberra Complex has been used in place of DSS-43, and early tests used the Parkes Radio Telescope rather than the ATCA; however, Parkes does not normally have a receiver mounted that can receive at the frequencies at which DSS-43 (or other DSN Canberra Complex antennas) can transmit.

The need for high sensitivity antennas and high transmitter powers is driven by the radar equation

[TABLE]

where S/N is the signal-to-noise ratio; $G_{\mathrm{RX}}$ and $G_{\mathrm{TX}}$ are the gains of the receiving and transmitting antennas, respectively; $P_{\mathrm{TX}}$ is the power of the transmitter, and $R$ is the range (distance) to the target. For an antenna of diameter $D$, the gain is $G\propto D^{2}$.

This planetary radar infrastructure can observe all terrestrial planets, and the largest moons (e.g., Muhleman et al., 1990), by virtue of their large cross sections and the hundreds of kilowatts of transmitter power coupled with antennas with the large gains (Arecibo, GSSR, and the GBT). This same infrastructure can observe near-Earth asteroids (NEAs), with typical NEAs being several hundred meters in diameter at ranges of order 0.1 au. Smaller NEA targets can be observed if their range is also smaller, with objects as small as of order 10 m having been observed at ranges less than 1 lunar distance.

Further, for NEA radar observations at ranges $R\lesssim 1$ lunar distance, bistatic observations, even with smaller gain antennas, can be useful to reduce stress on the transmitters. For nearby objects, the round-trip light travel time can be less than 1 s. In monostatic observations, in which the same antenna transmits and receives, these observations would require cycling the transmitter power (“on” and “off”) on sub-second time scales. Stresses on transmitters with powers approaching 1 MW can be significant with such rapid power cycling, leading to premature failure or other failures. Indeed, in the case of Arecibo, it takes 4 s (about 3 lunar distances) to switch from the transmitter to the receiver.

In the case of the Southern Hemisphere system, bistatic operations are required. The antennas at the DSN’s Canberra Complex are not equipped currently with receivers that operate at their transmitters’ frequency (approximately 7 GHz). However, the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) does have receivers that operate at this frequency.

This infrastructure is complementary for its ability to observe a wide range of targets. With its high gain and large transmit power, Arecibo can detect targets at the largest ranges, for a given S/N ratio. However, Arecibo has a limited range of declinations and can observe only approximately 30% of the sky (in a window centered approximately on a declination of $20^{\circ}$). By contrast, the GSSR, either monostatically or bistatically with the GBT, can observe approximately 75% of the sky.

Technology Drivers

As summarized in equation (1), there are two key aspects to a planetary radar system—transmitter power $P_{\mathrm{TX}}$ and antenna gain $G$.

Transmitter Power

Fundamental to both the GSSR and Arecibo Planetary Radar are klystrons—high-power, vacuum tube-based microwave amplifiers. Klystrons operate by producing an electron beam that is then modulated to produce a radio frequency signal, often with a desired waveform. While klystrons are a standard component of radars, some medical devices, and particle accelerators, the klystrons used by planetary radars are distinguished by their power levels, which can be orders of magnitude higher than all other applications. As a consequence, they often have to be operated near the edge of instability, which can lead to relatively short lifetimes (of order a year).

A potential technology development activity would be the development of even higher power but more reliable microwave amplifiers. Both the GSSR and the Arecibo Planetary Radar obtain their full powers by the phased combinations of the outputs of two klystrons. One likely approach for higher power, more reliable microwave amplifiers would be more modular systems, consisting of many, lower power amplifiers the outputs of which are combined coherently. Lower power amplifiers would be presumably more reliable, and a modular approach would offer the possibility of a graceful degradation. A challenge with such an approach would be to maintain a high efficiency of coherent combination of the signals, as reflected power could damage the individual components. This challenge is particularly acute to obtain graceful degradation, as the loss of an individual amplifier would require a rapid response so that additional individual amplifiers are not damaged.

Antenna Gain and Antenna Arrays

Current single dish antennas are at the scale that larger antennas are not a viable approach to obtain significant improvements in antenna gain. For instance, no fully-steerable single dish radio antenna significantly larger than the GBT has since been constructed since the completion of the GBT in the 1990s. The continued operation of these large single dish antennas is therefore critical to a viable planetary radar capability.

One potential approach for obtaining larger receiving gains $G_{\mathrm{RX}}$ would be bistatic operations with future radio astronomical arrays. For instance, in the southern hemisphere, the intermediate frequency component of the Square Kilometre Array Phase 1 (SKA1-Mid) is planned to be capable of operating at the transmitter frequencies of the DSN’s Canberra Complex (Jones & Lazio, 2015). However, SKA1-Mid is planned to be sited in South Africa, while the DSN’s Canberra Complex is in eastern Australia, limiting the amount of common sky visibility. In the northern hemisphere, the next-generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) would offer both frequency coverage that overlaps with both the Arecibo Planetary Radar and the GSSR transmitters and considerable mutual visibility with both (Brozovic et al., 2018).

Finally, while interferometric (“receive-only”) arrays are standard for radio astronomical telescopes and phased arrays are standard for terrestrial radar applications, phased interferometric arrays are not yet used for the transmit portion of planetary radar. There have been limited experiments within the DSN of phasing transmit antennas to obtain higher effective transmit gains $G_{\mathrm{TX}}$ (the DSN “Uplink Array”). These experiments have demonstrated the expected improvements in $G_{\mathrm{TX}}$ for coherent addition of antennas, but they have not been required to obtain the range and range-rate (Doppler) precision required for planetary radar. Additional work would be necessary to obtain the required precisions, and additional antennas would be necessary to obtain comparable or larger transmit powers. (For example, $5\times 34$ m antennas each equipped with an 80 kW transmitter $=$ 70 m antenna equipped with a 500 kW transmitter.)

Organization, Partnerships, and Current

Status

The planetary radar infrastructure is an effectively tripartite organization.

Arecibo Observatory

Operates and maintains the Arecibo Planetary Radar, with funding from NASA. Proposals for radar observations are evaluated as part of Arecibo Observatory’s standard scientific review process. The Arecibo Observatory itself is a facility of the NSF, and the current cooperative agreement provides for a decreasing amount of funding support from the NSF.

Deep Space Network

Operates and maintains both the GSSR and the Canberra Complex, with funding from NASA. Proposals for radar observations can be submitted directly to the DSN or through standing elements in NASA’s Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) omnibus solicitation.

Green Bank Observatory

Operates and maintains the GBT, with funding from the NSF. Proposals for radar observations are evaluated as part of the Green Bank Observatory’s standard scientific review process. However, the current cooperative agreement provides for a decreasing amount of funding support from the NSF. In order to ensure continued availability of the GBT for radar studies, funds should be allocated to dedicate GBT time toward solar system studies.

Within the U.S., there also have been a small number of “radar speckle” observations conducted with the Very Large Array (VLA) and the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) used as the receiving elements (Busch et al., 2010), both operated by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO).

In addition to these three organizations in the northern hemisphere, for southern hemisphere observations, the Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF) operates and maintains the ATCA, with funding support from the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). The recent establishment of an Australian Space Agency may represent additional opportunities for support of a southern hemisphere radar system.

There is a long history of collaboration between these various institutions. Numerous bistatic radar observations have been conducted, requiring coordinated scheduling of antennas. Further, the Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Program, a joint program between NASA’s Science Mission and Human Exploration & Operations Mission Directorates, provided 8.56 GHz receivers for both Arecibo and the GBT in order to enable bistatic radar observations with the GSSR in order to enable signal-to-noise ratio improvements due to the larger apertures of both of these antennas. The receiver provided for Arecibo was a copy of the GSSR digital receiver, and JPL provided the GBT with a dual-channel analog Pinnacle Technologies “Agile Receiver.”

Finally, as noted above, both the ngVLA and the SKA1-Mid represent potential future opportunities for receiving elements in bistatic radar observations. The SKA1-Mid will be operated by the SKA Office, and the ngVLA would be operated by the NRAO. Planetary radar observations are mentioned in the science case for both telescopes (Jones & Lazio, 2015; Brozovic et al., 2018), but the specific details of how bistatic observations might be conducted with either facility have not been considered.

Schedule

There are two operational systems in the northern hemisphere (the Arecibo Planetary Radar and the GSSR) and a nascent system in the southern hemisphere. This state represents a change from a decade ago when there was effectively no southern hemisphere capability. We focus here on potential technical changes to these systems, leaving aside the programmatic issues noted above.

Early 2020s

Both the Arecibo Planetary Radar and the GSSR should remain at approximately historical capability. The Arecibo telescope itself has suffered damage due to recent hurricanes crossing the island of Puerto Rico, but funding is available to repair the antenna and restore functionality. The GSSR is currently offline due to repair and upgrade of its klystrons, but the current schedule has new klystrons arriving and the GSSR returning to full service in 2020 to early 2021.

In 2020, the DSN plans to upgrade the transmitter at DSS-43 at the Canberra Complex from its currently 20 kW capability to 80 kW. This upgrade will take most of the year, with DSS-43 returning to service in 2021. All other considerations being equal, this $4\times$ increase in the transmitting power will increase the range to which the Southern Hemisphere system could detect objects by approximately 40% or allow it to detect objects approximately half the diameter it can currently.

Also occurring in the first half of the decade are the investigations into alternate technologies for planetary radar, described above (“Technical Drivers”).

Late 2020s

If any of the on-going technology development proves feasible, the relevant technology could be implemented in the latter half of the 2020–2030 decade. Current plans are also for the SKA1-Mid to enter operations and construction to begin on the ngVLA during this interval.