arXiv subjects

Nathan P. Lourie

Publications and source records attributed to Nathan P. Lourie.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

A data processing pipeline for the WINTER near-infrared surveyor using the $\texttt{mirar}$ framework

We present the data reduction and transient detection pipeline for the Wide-field Infrared Transient Explorer (WINTER) surveyor and report its on-sky performance. The WINTER camera utilizes cost-effective InGaAs sensors as alternatives to traditional IR sensors, and is mounted on a dedicated 1-m robotic telescope at Palomar Observatory. The WINTER camera has six detectors producing a combined field-of-view of 1.2 sq. deg. equipped with y, J, and shortened-H bands. WINTER saw first light in June 2023 and has been operating robotically since. The WINTER data processing pipeline ($\texttt{winterdrp}$) has been implemented within the broader framework $\texttt{mirar}$: a modular, open-source $\texttt{python}$ package developed for realtime processing of images from time-domain surveys. $\texttt{winterdrp}$ performs end-to-end data processing implementing data reduction and image subtraction to go from raw dithered WINTER images to transient alerts in the $\texttt{avro}$ format, which are then sent to $\texttt{SkyPortal}$ for vetting and follow-up. During a year of observations in 2024, WINTER achieved J-band median 5-$σ$ depths ranging from $18.1-18.8$ mag (AB) on its six detectors in 960 second integrations as part of its survey, with an astrometric accuracy of $\approx0.2$ arcsec (a fifth of a pixel) and a detector-performance limited photometric accuracy ranging from $\approx0.09-0.18$ mag for its six detectors. We present early science results from WINTER, which include the identification of a stellar merger in M31, dust-enshrouded outbursting young stellar objects and classical novae in the Galactic plane, NIR followup of known supernovae, and multi-messenger follow-up of neutrinos, gravitational waves, fast X-ray transients and gamma-ray bursts.

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arXiv2026

SuperFIRE: Concept evolution of a seeing-limited broadband spectrograph for the GMT

We are developing the SuperFIRE concept, which builds on the heritage of the FIRE spectrograph at Magellan, as a broadband (about 340 nm to 2.5 um) intermediate resolution (R=10,000) single-shot natural seeing spectrograph for the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) with support from the Kavli Foundation. This single-object spectrograph is envisioned as a first-light instrument that can operate in natural seeing and grow in long-term capability as the telescope and adaptive optics systems mature. Here we discuss how the science cases and design have evolved since the concept was initially conceived and presented at SPIE in Edinburgh ten years ago. The primary drivers for the design changes are fast follow-up of faint transients and multi-messenger events, and complementarity to JWST observations in the infrared. By leveraging fast low-noise detectors and modern fabrication techniques we expect high throughput and low scatter that delivers sky limited performance in a few minutes of integration time for fast response and deep integrations. SuperFIRE will operate as a practical point-and-shoot follow-up spectrograph thanks to a versatile standard configuration that needs minimal observing or planning overheads and is insensitive to atmospheric conditions.

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arXiv2026

A Multi-Wavelength View of the First Type Ic-BL Supernova with an Einstein Probe X-ray Shock Breakout

In March 2026, the Einstein Probe (EP) discovered its most nearby (z = 0.0343) Fast X-ray Transient (FXT), EP260321a, the first EP FXT to provide a strong match to expectations for X-ray "shock breakout'" (SBO) emission. Here, we present our multi-wavelength follow-up campaign of EP260321a and its broad-line Type Ic (Ic-BL) supernova (SN) counterpart, SN2026gzf. We show that our radio follow-up extending over 5.8 - 54.5 days post-FXT rules out an on-axis jet counterpart of isotropic-equivalent kinetic energy $E_{K} \gtrsim 10^{49}$ erg for circumburst densities $n > 10^{-2}~{\rm cm}^{-3}$ and assuming microphysical parameters $ε_e = ε_B = 0.1$. Our radio data also constrains a median mass-loss rate of $\dot{M} \lesssim 1.2 \times 10^{-5} M_{\odot}~{\rm yr}^{-1}$ for a Wolf-Rayet progenitor. In addition, we derive SN2026gzf's properties, including $^{56}$Ni mass, diffusion timescale, and expansion velocities, from our $\sim$nightly-cadence optical data and compare them with those of optically discovered Type Ic-BL SNe, finding that SN 2026gzf is well within the 90\% confidence interval across all properties. We further fit SN2026gzf's light curve and determine that combined emission from both interaction with CSM and $^{56}$Ni radioactive decay provides the best fit with plausible model parameters. Finally, using the rate of Ic-BL SNe from the ZTF Bright Transient Survey and assuming all Type Ic-BL SNe produce EP260321a-like FXTs, we infer an expected rate of EP-detected SBOs of 4.4 - 16 year$^{-1}$. This is inconsistent at the 90% confidence level with current EP detection rates, potentially indicating that most Type Ic-BL SNe produce less luminous X-ray SBO signals compared to EP260321a.

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arXiv2026

Multi-color characterization of optically invisible FU Orionis-type outbursts: Demonstration and prospects for the WINTER survey

Episodic mass accretion is the dominant mechanism for mass assembly in the proto-stellar phase. Although prior optical time-domain searches have allowed detailed studies of individual outbursts, these searches remain insensitive to the earliest stages of star formation. In this paper, we present the characterization of two FU Orionis (FUor) outbursts identified using the combination of the ground-based, near-infrared Wide-field Infrared Transient Explorer (WINTER) and the space-based, mid-infrared NEOWISE survey. Supplemented with near-infrared spectroscopic follow-up, we show that both objects are bona fide FUor type outbursts based on i) their proximity to star-forming regions, ii) large amplitude (2-4 magnitudes) infrared brightening over the last decade, iii) progenitor colors consistent with embedded (Class I) protostars, and iv) "mixed-temperature" infrared spectra exhibiting characteristic signatures of cool outer envelopes and a hot inner disk with a wind. While one source, WNTR24-cua, is a known FUor which we independently recover; the second source, WNTR24-egv, is a newly confirmed object. Neither source is detected in contemporaneous ground-based optical imaging, despite flux limits $\gtrsim 100\times$ fainter than their infrared brightness, demonstrating the capabilities of WINTER to identify heavily obscured young stellar object (YSO) outbursts. We highlight the capabilities of the Galactic Plane survey of the recently commissioned WINTER observatory in addressing the poorly understood FUor population with its unique combination of real-time detection capabilities, multi-color sensitivity, weekly cadence, and wide area coverage.

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arXiv2026

WINTER on S250206dm: A near-infrared search for an electromagnetic counterpart to a gravitational-wave event

We present near-infrared follow-up observations of the International Gravitational Wave Network (IGWN) event S250206dm with the Wide-Field Infrared Transient Explorer (WINTER). WINTER is a near-infrared time-domain survey designed for electromagnetic follow-up of gravitational-wave sources localized to $\leq$300 deg$^{2}$. The instrument's wide field of view (1.2 deg$^2$), dedicated 1-m robotic telescope, and near-infrared coverage (0.9-1.7 microns) are optimized for searching for kilonovae, which are expected to exhibit a relatively long-lived near-infrared component. S250206dm is the only neutron star merger in the fourth observing run (to date) localized to $\leq$300 deg$^{2}$ with a False Alarm Rate below one per year. It has a $55\%$ probability of being a neutron star-black hole (NSBH) merger and a $37\%$ probability of being a binary neutron star (BNS) merger, with a $50\%$ credible region spanning 38 deg$^2$, an estimated distance of 373 Mpc, and an overall false alarm rate of approximately one in 25 years. WINTER covered $43\%$ of the probability area at least once and $35\%$ at least three times. Through automated and human candidate vetting, all transient candidates found in WINTER coverage were rejected as kilonova candidates. Unsurprisingly, given the large estimated distance of 373 Mpc, the WINTER upper limits do not constrain kilonova models. This study highlights the promise of systematic infrared searches and the need for future wider and deeper infrared surveys.

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arXiv2025

A diverse, overlooked population of Type Ia supernovae exhibiting mid-infrared signatures of delayed circumstellar interaction

Type Ia supernovae arise from the thermonuclear explosions of white dwarfs in multiple star systems. A rare sub-class of SNe Ia exhibit signatures of interaction with circumstellar material (CSM), allowing for direct constraints on companion material. While most known events show evidence for dense nearby CSM identified via peak-light spectroscopy (as SNe Ia-CSM), targeted late-time searches have revealed a handful of cases exhibiting delayed CSM interaction with detached shells. Here, we present the first all-sky search for late CSM interaction in SNe Ia using a new image-subtraction pipeline for mid-infrared data from the NEOWISE space telescope. Analyzing a sample of $\approx8500$ SNe Ia, we report evidence for late-time mid-infrared brightening in five previously overlooked events spanning sub-types SNe Iax, SNe Ia-91T and super-Chandra SNe Ia. Our systematic search doubles the known sample, and suggests that $\gtrsim 0.05$\% of SNe Ia exhibit mid-infrared signatures of delayed CSM interaction. The mid-infrared light curves ubiquitously indicate the presence of multiple (or extended) detached CSM shells located at $\gtrsim 10^{16}-10^{17}$ cm, containing $10^{-6}-10^{-4}$~$M_\odot$ of dust, with some sources showing evidence for new dust formation, possibly within the cold, dense shell of the ejecta. We do not detect interaction signatures in spectroscopic and radio follow-up; however, the limits are largely consistent with previously confirmed events given the sensitivity and observation phase. Our results highlight that CSM interaction is more prevalent than previously estimated from optical and ultraviolet searches, and that mid-infrared synoptic surveys provide a unique window into this phenomenon.

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arXiv2025

The slow brightening of WNTR23bzdiq / WTP19aalzlk : Possible onset of common-envelope evolution in an asymptotic giant branch star?

We present WNTR23bzdiq/WTP19aalzlk, a slow eruption of an early-asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star in M31 identified by the Wide-field Infrared Transient Explorer (WINTER) near-infrared and the NEOWISE mid-infrared surveyors. This source brightened gradually over seven years: a 0.5-mag optical rise (2018-2021), a 1-mag optical outburst lasting $\sim$1000 days (2021-2023), and another 1-mag optical rebrightening in 2024. This was accompanied by a steady mid-IR brightening of 1-mag over ten years in NEOWISE data. Archival optical data show only erratic, small amplitude ($<0.3$\,mag) brightness variations from 2003 to 2015, revealing a progenitor star with T$_{\rm{eff}} \approx 3500$K and L $\approx1.6\times10^{4}$L$_{\odot}$ - consistent with a 7$\pm$2M$_{\odot}$ star in its early-AGB phase. During the eruption, the luminosity rose to $\approx5\times10^{4}$L$_{\odot}$ with slow photospheric expansion ($\approx5$km-s$^{-1}$) and constant temperatures ($\approx3600$K) inferred from the spectral energy distribution. Optical and NIR spectra of the eruption resemble late M-type stars, with a mixed-temperature behavior - transitioning from M1 in the optical to M7/M8 in the NIR. These properties of WNTR23bzdiq resemble those of stellar merger transients, particularly the giant star merger OGLE-2002-BLG-360, but on longer timescales. As such, WNTR23bzdiq potentially marks the onset of common-envelope evolution (CEE) in a binary with an AGB primary, and is possibly a member of the emerging population of infrared transients from CEE in giant stars. Continued multiwavelength monitoring, particularly mid-IR observations with JWST to quantify dust production, will shed further light on WNTR23bzdiq.

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arXiv2022

An Infrared Search for Kilonovae with the WINTER Telescope. I. Binary Neutron Star Mergers

The Wide-Field Infrared Transient Explorer (WINTER) is a new 1 $\text{deg}^2$ seeing-limited time-domain survey instrument designed for dedicated near-infrared follow-up of kilonovae from binary neutron star (BNS) and neutron star-black hole mergers. WINTER will observe in the near-infrared Y, J, and short-H bands (0.9-1.7 microns, to $\text{J}_{AB}=21$ magnitudes) on a dedicated 1-meter telescope at Palomar Observatory. To date, most prompt kilonova follow-up has been in optical wavelengths; however, near-infrared emission fades more slowly and depends less on geometry and viewing angle than optical emission. We present an end-to-end simulation of a follow-up campaign during the fourth observing run (O4) of the LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA interferometers, including simulating 625 BNS mergers, their detection in gravitational waves, low-latency and full parameter estimation skymaps, and a suite of kilonova lightcurves from two different model grids. We predict up to five new kilonovae independently discovered by WINTER during O4, given a realistic BNS merger rate. Using a larger grid of kilonova parameters, we find that kilonova emission is $\approx$2 times longer-lived and red kilonovae are detected $\approx$1.5 times further in the infrared than in the optical. For 90% localization areas smaller than 150 (450) $\rm{deg}^{2}$, WINTER will be sensitive to more than 10% of the kilonova model grid out to 350 (200) Mpc. We develop a generalized toolkit to create an optimal BNS follow-up strategy with any electromagnetic telescope and present WINTER's observing strategy with this framework. This toolkit, all simulated gravitational-wave events, and skymaps are made available for use by the community.

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arXiv2021

Design Requirements for the Wide-field Infrared TransientExplorer (WINTER)

The Wide-field Infrared Transient Explorer (WINTER) is a 1x1 degree infrared survey telescope under development at MIT and Caltech, and slated for commissioning at Palomar Observatory in 2021. WINTER is a seeing-limited infrared time-domain survey and has two main science goals: (1) the discovery of IR kilonovae and r-process materials from binary neutron star mergers and (2) the study of general IR transients, including supernovae, tidal disruption events, and transiting exoplanets around low mass stars. We plan to meet these science goals with technologies that are relatively new to astrophysical research: hybridized InGaAs sensors as an alternative to traditional, but expensive, HgCdTe arrays and an IR-optimized 1-meter COTS telescope. To mitigate risk, optimize development efforts, and ensure that WINTER meets its science objectives, we use model-based systems engineering (MBSE) techniques commonly featured in aerospace engineering projects. Even as ground-based instrumentation projects grow in complexity, they do not often have the budget for a full-time systems engineer. We present one example of systems engineering for the ground-based WINTER project, featuring software tools that allow students or staff to learn the fundamentals of MBSE and capture the results in a formalized software interface. We focus on the top-level science requirements with a detailed example of how the goal of detecting kilonovae flows down to WINTER's optical design. In particular, we discuss new methods for tolerance simulations, eliminating stray light, and maximizing image quality of a fly's-eye design that slices the telescope's focus onto 6 non-buttable, IR detectors. We also include a discussion of safety constraints for a robotic telescope.

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arXiv2021

The wide-field infrared transient explorer (WINTER)

The Wide-Field Infrared Transient Explorer (WINTER) is a new infrared time-domain survey instrument which will be deployed on a dedicated 1 meter robotic telescope at Palomar Observatory. WINTER will perform a seeing-limited time domain survey of the infrared (IR) sky, with a particular emphasis on identifying r-process material in binary neutron star (BNS) merger remnants detected by LIGO. We describe the scientific goals and survey design of the WINTER instrument. With a dedicated trigger and the ability to map the full LIGO O4 positional error contour in the IR to a distance of 190 Mpc within four hours, WINTER will be a powerful kilonova discovery engine and tool for multi-messenger astrophysics investigations. In addition to follow-up observations of merging binaries, WINTER will facilitate a wide range of time-domain astronomical observations, all the while building up a deep coadded image of the static infrared sky suitable for survey science. WINTER's custom camera features six commercial large-format Indium Gallium Arsenide (InGaAs) sensors and a tiled optical system which covers a $>$1-square-degree field of view with 90% fill factor. The instrument observes in Y, J and a short-H (Hs) band tuned to the long-wave cutoff of the InGaAs sensors, covering a wavelength range from 0.9 - 1.7 microns. We present the design of the WINTER instrument and current progress towards final integration at Palomar Observatory and commissioning planned for mid-2021.

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arXiv2021

Characterization, deployment, and in-flight performance of the BLAST-TNG cryogenic receiver

The Next Generation Balloon-borne Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (BLAST-TNG) is a submillimeter polarimeter designed to map interstellar dust and galactic foregrounds at 250, 350, and 500 microns during a 24-day Antarctic flight. The BLAST-TNG detector arrays are comprised of 918, 469, and 272 MKID pixels, respectively. The pixels are formed from two orthogonally oriented, crossed, linear-polarization sensitive MKID antennae. The arrays are cooled to sub 300mK temperatures and stabilized via a closed cycle $^3$He sorption fridge in combination with a $^4$He vacuum pot. The detectors are read out through a combination of the second-generation Reconfigurable Open Architecture Computing Hardware (ROACH2) and custom RF electronics designed for BLAST-TNG. The firmware and software designed to readout and characterize these detectors was built from scratch by the BLAST team around these detectors, and has been adapted for use by other MKID instruments such as TolTEC and OLIMPO. We present an overview of these systems as well as in-depth methodology of the ground-based characterization and the measured in-flight performance.

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arXiv2021

In-flight performance of the BLAST-TNG telescope platform

The Next Generation Balloon-Borne Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (BLAST-TNG) was a unique instrument for characterizing the polarized submillimeter sky at high-angular resolution. BLAST-TNG flew from the Long Duration Balloon Facility in Antarctica in January 2020. Despite the short flight duration, the instrument worked very well and is providing significant information about each subsystem that will be invaluable for future balloon missions. In this contribution, we discuss the performance of telescope and gondola.

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arXiv2020

The Balloon-Borne Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope Observatory

The BLAST Observatory is a proposed superpressure balloon-borne polarimeter designed for a future ultra-long duration balloon campaign from Wanaka, New Zealand. To maximize scientific output while staying within the stringent superpressure weight envelope, BLAST will feature new 1.8m off-axis optical system contained within a lightweight monocoque structure gondola. The payload will incorporate a 300L $^4$He cryogenic receiver which will cool 8,274 microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs) to 100mK through the use of an adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR) in combination with a $^3$He sorption refrigerator all backed by a liquid helium pumped pot operating at 2K. The detector readout utilizes a new Xilinx RFSOC-based system which will run the next-generation of the BLAST-TNG KIDPy software. With this instrument we aim to answer outstanding questions about dust dynamics as well as provide community access to the polarized submillimeter sky made possible by high-altitude observing unrestricted by atmospheric transmission. The BLAST Observatory is designed for a minimum 31-day flight of which 70$\%$ will be dedicated to observations for BLAST scientific goals and the remaining 30$\%$ will be open to proposals from the wider astronomical community through a shared-risk proposals program.

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arXiv2018

Design and Characterization of a Balloon-Borne Diffraction-Limited Submillimeter Telescope Platform for BLAST-TNG

The Next Generation Balloon-borne Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (BLAST-TNG) is a submillimeter mapping experiment planned for a 28 day long-duration balloon (LDB) flight from McMurdo Station, Antarctica during the 2018-2019 season. BLAST-TNG will detect submillimeter polarized interstellar dust emission, tracing magnetic fields in galactic molecular clouds. BLAST-TNG will be the first polarimeter with the sensitivity and resolution to probe the $\sim$0.1 parsec-scale features that are critical to understanding the origin of structures in the interstellar medium. With three detector arrays operating at 250, 350, and 500 $μ$m (1200, 857, and 600 GHz), BLAST-TNG will obtain diffraction-limited resolution at each waveband of 30, 41, and 59 arcseconds respectively. To achieve the submillimeter resolution necessary for its science goals, the BLAST-TNG telescope features a 2.5 m aperture carbon fiber composite primary mirror, one of the largest mirrors flown on a balloon platform. Successful performance of such a large telescope on a balloon-borne platform requires stiff, lightweight optical components and mounting structures. Through a combination of optical metrology and finite element modeling of thermal and mechanical stresses on both the telescope optics and mounting structures, we expect diffraction-limited resolution at all our wavebands. We expect pointing errors due to deformation of the telescope mount to be negligible. We have developed a detailed thermal model of the sun shielding, gondola, and optical components to optimize our observing strategy and increase the stability of the telescope over the flight. We present preflight characterization of the telescope and its platform.

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arXiv2018

Preflight Characterization of the BLAST-TNG Receiver and Detector Arrays

The Next Generation Balloon-borne Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (BLAST-TNG) is a submillimeter mapping experiment planned for a 28 day long-duration balloon (LDB) flight from McMurdo Station, Antarctica during the 2018-2019 season. BLAST-TNG will detect submillimeter polarized interstellar dust emission, tracing magnetic fields in galactic molecular clouds. BLAST-TNG will be the first polarimeter with the sensitivity and resolution to probe the $\sim$0.1 parsec-scale features that are critical to understanding the origin of structures in the interstellar medium. BLAST-TNG features three detector arrays operating at wavelengths of 250, 350, and 500 $μ$m (1200, 857, and 600 GHz) comprised of 918, 469, and 272 dual-polarization pixels, respectively. Each pixel is made up of two crossed microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs). These arrays are cooled to 275 mK in a cryogenic receiver. Each MKID has a different resonant frequency, allowing hundreds of resonators to be read out on a single transmission line. This inherent ability to be frequency-domain multiplexed simplifies the cryogenic readout hardware, but requires careful optical testing to map out the physical location of each resonator on the focal plane. Receiver-level optical testing was carried out using both a cryogenic source mounted to a movable xy-stage with a shutter, and a beam-filling, heated blackbody source able to provide a 10-50 $^\circ$C temperature chop. The focal plane array noise properties, responsivity, polarization efficiency, instrumental polarization were measured. We present the preflight characterization of the BLAST-TNG cryogenic system and array-level optical testing of the MKID detector arrays in the flight receiver.

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arXiv2016

An Open Source, FPGA-based LeKID readout for BLAST-TNG: Pre-flight Results

We present a highly frequency multiplexed readout for large-format superconducting detector arrays intended for use in the next generation of balloon-borne and space-based sub-millimeter and far-infrared missions. We will demonstrate this technology on the upcoming NASA Next Generation Balloon-borne Large Aperture Sub-millimeter Telescope (BLAST-TNG) to measure the polarized emission of Galactic dust at wavelengths of 250, 350 and 500 microns. The BLAST-TNG receiver incorporates the first arrays of Lumped Element Kinetic Inductance Detectors (LeKID) along with the first microwave multiplexing readout electronics to fly in a space-like environment and will significantly advance the TRL for these technologies. After the flight of BLAST-TNG, we will continue to improve the performance of the detectors and readout electronics for the next generation of balloon-borne instruments and for use in a future FIR Surveyor.

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arXiv2016

Instrumental performance and results from testing of the BLAST-TNG receiver, submillimeter optics, and MKID arrays

Polarized thermal emission from interstellar dust grains can be used to map magnetic fields in star forming molecular clouds and the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM). The Balloon-borne Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope for Polarimetry (BLASTPol) flew from Antarctica in 2010 and 2012 and produced degree-scale polarization maps of several nearby molecular clouds with arcminute resolution. The success of BLASTPol has motivated a next-generation instrument, BLAST-TNG, which will use more than 3000 linear polarization sensitive microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs) combined with a 2.5m diameter carbon fiber primary mirror to make diffraction-limited observations at 250, 350, and 500 $μ$m. With 16 times the mapping speed of BLASTPol, sub-arcminute resolution, and a longer flight time, BLAST-TNG will be able to examine nearby molecular clouds and the diffuse galactic dust polarization spectrum in unprecedented detail. The 250 $μ$m detector array has been integrated into the new cryogenic receiver, and is undergoing testing to establish the optical and polarization characteristics of the instrument. BLAST-TNG will demonstrate the effectiveness of kilo-pixel MKID arrays for applications in submillimeter astronomy. BLAST-TNG is scheduled to fly from Antarctica in December 2017 for 28 days and will be the first balloon-borne telescope to offer a quarter of the flight for "shared risk" observing by the community.

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arXiv2014

The Next Generation BLAST Experiment

The Balloon-borne Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope for Polarimetry (BLASTPol) was a suborbital experiment designed to map magnetic fields in order to study their role in star formation processes. BLASTPol made detailed polarization maps of a number of molecular clouds during its successful flights from Antarctica in 2010 and 2012. We present the next-generation BLASTPol instrument (BLAST-TNG) that will build off the success of the previous experiment and continue its role as a unique instrument and a test bed for new technologies. With a 16-fold increase in mapping speed, BLAST-TNG will make larger and deeper maps. Major improvements include a 2.5 m carbon fiber mirror that is 40% wider than the BLASTPol mirror and ~3000 polarization sensitive detectors. BLAST-TNG will observe in three bands at 250, 350, and 500 microns. The telescope will serve as a pathfinder project for microwave kinetic inductance detector (MKID) technology, as applied to feedhorn coupled submillimeter detector arrays. The liquid helium cooled cryostat will have a 28-day hold time and will utilize a closed-cycle $^3$He refrigerator to cool the detector arrays to 270 mK. This will enable a detailed mapping of more targets with higher polarization resolution than any other submillimeter experiment to date. BLAST-TNG will also be the first balloon-borne telescope to offer shared risk observing time to the community. This paper outlines the motivation for the project and the instrumental design.

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