Space VLBI 2020: Science and Technology Futures Conference Summary

TL;DR

The paper summarizes the 2020 Space VLBI conference focusing on high-frequency space-based radio interferometry, emphasizing technological advancements and mission concepts for achieving ultra-high angular resolution observations above 30 GHz.

Contribution

It provides an overview of recent scientific motivations, technological developments, and mission concepts for space VLBI at frequencies above 30 GHz, highlighting recent progress and future directions.

Findings

Interest in black hole imaging and testing General Relativity.

Advances in space VLBI technology for frequencies above 30 GHz.

Emerging mission concepts for high-resolution space-based radio observations.

Abstract

The "Space VLBI 2020: Science and Technology Futures" meeting was the second in The Future of High-Resolution Radio Interferometry in Space series. The first meeting (2018 September 5--6; Noordwijk, the Netherlands) focused on the full range of science applications possible for very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) with space-based antennas. Accordingly, the observing frequencies (wavelengths) considered ranged from below 1~MHz (> 300 m) to above 300~GHz (< 1 mm). For this second meeting, the focus was narrowed to mission concepts and the supporting technologies to enable the highest angular resolution observations at frequencies of 30~GHz and higher (< 1 cm). This narrowing of focus was driven by both scientific and technical considerations. First, results from the RadioAstron mission and the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) have generated considerable excitement for studying the inner portions of black hole (BH) accretion disks and jets and testing elements of the General Theory of Relativity (GR). Second, the technologies and requirements involved in space-based VLBI differ considerably between 100~MHz and 100~GHz; a related consideration is that there are a number of existing instruments or mission concepts for frequencies of approximately 100~MHz and below, while it has been some time since attention has been devoted to space VLBI at frequencies above 10~GHz. This conference summary attempts to capture elements of presentations and discussions that occurred.