Tomoaki Toda

We built a Ka-band dual-circular-polarization low-noise receiver for the Misasa 54 m parabola antenna in Misasa, Japan. The antenna is designed to be combined with a transmitter and receiver system at the X band (around 8 GHz) and simultaneously with a receiver system at the Ka band. The Ka band is the frequency band around 30 GHz, which is important for deep-space communications and radio astronomy. The receiver comprises some waveguide components including a feed horn, a circular polarizer, and low-noise amplifiers. The components are installed in a vacuum vessel and are cooled to 4 K with a Gifford-McMahon refrigerator, providing low-noise performance. The receiver is capable of simultaneously handling the left- and right-hand circular-polarization (LHCP and RHCP) channels. The receiver-noise temperature was measured to be T-RX similar or equal to 14 K in both the LHCP and RHCP channels. The system-noise temperature, including the antenna loss and atmospheric attenuation at the zenith, was measured to be T-sys = 36-37 K in both the LHCP and RHCP channels on a clear day in September at Misasa. When the receiver is used with the X-band transmitter, the system-noise temperature is maintained at T-sys similar or equal to 42 K in the RHCP channel. The degradation in the system-noise temperature is attributed to a frequency-selective reflector, which divides the signals in the X and Ka bands. There is no contamination from the transmitter to damage the receiver. The receiver has already been in use for deep-space communications and radio-astronomy observations. Our team in the radio-astronomy laboratory of ISAS/JAXA is responsible for the development of the receiver and the measurements of its performance.

A projectile accelerated by the Hayabusa2 Small Carry-on Impactor successfully produced an artificial impact crater with a final apparent diameter of 14.5 ± 0.8 m on the surface of the near-Earth asteroid 162173 Ryugu on April 5, 2019. At the time of cratering, Deployable Camera 3 took clear time-lapse images of the ejecta curtain, an assemblage of ejected particles forming a curtain-like structure emerging from the crater. Focusing on the optical depth of the ejecta curtain and comparing it with a theoretical model, we infer the size of the ejecta particles. As a result, the typical size of the ejecta particles is estimated to be several centimeters to decimeters, although it slightly depends on the assumed size distribution. Since the ejecta particles are expected to come from a depth down to ∼1 m, our result suggests that the subsurface layer of Ryugu is composed of relatively small particles compared to the uppermost layer on which we observe many meter-sized boulders. Our result also suggests a deficit of particles of less than ∼1 mm in the subsurface layer. These findings will play a key role in revealing the formation and surface evolution process of Ryugu and other small Solar System bodies.