Reference Array and Design Consideration for the next-generation Event Horizon Telescope

TL;DR

The paper details the design and implementation plan for the next-generation Event Horizon Telescope, aiming to create a global array capable of real-time black hole imaging and jet observation.

Contribution

It introduces a transformative array design with additional dishes and multi-frequency observation to enhance black hole imaging capabilities.

Findings

Proposed a phased implementation of the ngEHT array.

Enhanced spatial frequency coverage for better imaging.

Focus on real-time, high-fidelity black hole movies.

Abstract

We describe the process to design, architect, and implement a transformative enhancement of the Event Horizon Telescope (ngEHT). This program - the next-generation Event Horizon Telescope (ngEHT) - will form a networked global array of radio dishes capable of making high-fidelity real-time movies of supermassive black holes (SMBH) and their emanating jets. This builds upon the EHT principally by deploying additional modest-diameter dishes to optimized geographic locations to enhance the current global mm/submm wavelength Very Long Baseline Interferometric (VLBI) array, which has, to date, utilized mostly pre-existing radio telescopes. The ngEHT program further focuses on observing at three frequencies simultaneously for increased sensitivity and Fourier spatial frequency coverage. Here, the concept, science goals, design considerations, station siting and instrument prototyping are discussed, and a preliminary reference array to be implemented in phases is described.