The Metron Project—I. The Metron Project Science Program

Abstract

In this paper, the first in a series of four articles, the scientific goals of the Metron project are highlighted, and the characteristics of the cosmic objects available for study within its framework are provided. The Metron interferometer radio telescope should include arrays of meter-range dipole antennas placed on Earth, in outer space, or on the far side of the Moon (or a combination of these options). Working in the meter range will enable the study of the so-called cosmological epoch of the ‘‘Dark Ages’’, which is challenging to observe but highly interesting for understanding the origin of the first stars, galaxies, and black holes, as well as for the search for new cosmological objects and processes. One possibility is to search for absorption in the 21-cm line within the extended halos around early protogalaxies and supermassive primordial black holes, whose existence is predicted in a number of models. Another goal of Metron may be to clarify the anomalous absorption in the 21-cm line previously detected by the EDGES telescopes and to observe radio emissions from the magnetospheres of stars and exoplanets. The Metron project aims to achieve unprecedented resolution in the meter range, which is expected to yield new world-class scientific results. Meter-range antennas and receivers are relatively simple and inexpensive, and the construction of interferometric arrays from them can be accomplished in a relatively short period of time.