The Experimental Probe of Inflationary Cosmology (EPIC): A Mission Concept Study for NASA's Einstein Inflation Probe

Abstract

This is the Phase 1 Report on the Experimental Probe of Inflationary Cosmology (EPIC), a mission concept study for NASA's Einstein Inflation Probe. When we began our study we sought to answer five fundamental implementation questions: 1) can foregrounds be measured and subtracted to a sufficiently low level?; 2) can systematic errors be controlled?; 3) can we develop optics with sufficiently large throughput, low polarization, and frequency coverage from 30 to 300 GHz?; 4) is there a technical path to realizing the sensitivity and systematic error requirements?; and 5) what are the specific mission architecture parameters, including cost? Detailed answers to these questions are contained in this report. Currently in Phase 2, we are exploring a mission concept targeting a ~2m aperture, in between the two options described in the current report with a small (~30 cm) and large (~4m) missions.