The Lunar Electromagnetic Monitor in X-rays (LEM-X): optimization of the instrument layout and trade-off study for the observatory location on the Moon surface

Alessio Nuti; Giuseppe Dilillo; Francesco Ceraudo; Giovanni Della Casa; Ettore Del Monte; Yuri Evangelista; Marco Feroci; Giovanni Lombardi; Massimo Rapisarda; Francesca Esposito; Immacolata Donnarumma; Ugo Cortesi; Fabio D'Amico; Alessandro Turchi; Marco Gai; Andrea Argan

doi:10.1117/12.3030692

21 August 2024 The Lunar Electromagnetic Monitor in X-rays (LEM-X): optimization of the instrument layout and trade-off study for the observatory location on the Moon surface

Alessio Nuti, Giuseppe Dilillo, Francesco Ceraudo, Giovanni Della Casa, Ettore Del Monte, Yuri Evangelista, Marco Feroci, Giovanni Lombardi, Massimo Rapisarda, Francesca Esposito, Immacolata Donnarumma, Ugo Cortesi, Fabio D'Amico, Alessandro Turchi, Marco Gai, Andrea Argan

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 13093, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray; 130937O (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3030692
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2024, Yokohama, Japan

Conference Poster

Abstract

The Lunar Electromagnetic Monitor in X-rays (LEM-X) is a proposed lunar observatory for the study of high-energy transients. The fundamental components of the LEM-X instrument are pairs of coded aperture cameras, each sensitive in the 2−50 keV range and with a 2 sr field of view. In this paper, we present a trade-off analysis of the instrument layout, identify the optimal design, and characterize its performance in terms of sky exposure for multiple candidate landing sites. We first optimized the number and configuration of cameras and designed a concept of their support structure, to ensure complete and uniform sky coverage while minimizing complexity and volume. Then, by using NASA’s SPICE toolkit, simulations were carried out to assess the effective sky coverage of the proposed instrument configuration. We provide results for three landing site candidates on the Moon’s prime meridian, with latitudes 0°, −70° and −90°, laying the groundwork for future mission implementation studies.

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Alessio Nuti, Giuseppe Dilillo, Francesco Ceraudo, Giovanni Della Casa, Ettore Del Monte, Yuri Evangelista, Marco Feroci, Giovanni Lombardi, Massimo Rapisarda, Francesca Esposito, Immacolata Donnarumma, Ugo Cortesi, Fabio D'Amico, Alessandro Turchi, Marco Gai, and Andrea Argan "The Lunar Electromagnetic Monitor in X-rays (LEM-X): optimization of the instrument layout and trade-off study for the observatory location on the Moon surface", Proc. SPIE 13093, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray, 130937O (21 August 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3030692

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