LuSEE-Night Power Distribution System Testing

Positioned on the dark side of the moon, the Lunar Surface Electromagnetic Experiment-Night (LuSEE-Night) will provide a window into the cosmic dark ages, a time when nearly all matter was found in diffuse hydrogen clouds. Within such clouds, alterations in the quantum state of neutral atoms lead to the emission of unique 21-cm "spin-flip" radio signals. The LuSEE-Night system, sheltered from Earth's radio noise, will be uniquely positioned to collect and interpret signals such as these. Composed of field-effect transistors and dual comparators, LuSEE-Night's power distribution unit (PDU) allocates power from the lander power system and the LuSEE-Night Li-ion battery to specific components, allowing LuSEE-Night to function through night-periods of 350 hours. Within the Instrumentation Division of Brookhaven National Laboratory, we verified the functionality of the PDU. By optimizing resistor combinations and implementing voltage hysteresis, we eliminated voltage oscillations appearing throughout the PDU and verified smooth transitions between the lander power system and the LuSEE-Night battery as the PDU's primary voltage source. As a result of this study, the PDU is prepared to be integrated with other components for further testing.