An innovative, highly sensitive receiver system for the Square Kilometre Array Mid radio telescope
Paper i proceeding, 2018

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Project is a global science and engineering project realizing the next-generation radio telescopes operating in the metre and centimetre wavelengths regions. This paper addresses design concepts of the broadband, exceptionally sensitive receivers and reflector antennas deployed in the SKA1-Mid radio telescope to be located in South Africa. SKA1-Mid (350 MHz -13.8 GHz with an option for an upper limit of similar to 24 GHz) will consist of 133 reflector antennas using an unblocked aperture, offset Gregorian configuration with an effective diameter of 15 m. Details on the unblocked aperture Gregorian antennas, low noise front ends and advanced direct digitization receivers, are provided from a system design perspective. The unblocked aperture results in increased aperture efficiency and lower side-lobe levels compared to a traditional on-axis configuration. The low side-lobe level reduces the noise contribution due to ground pick-up but also makes the antenna less susceptible to ground-based RFI sources. The addition of extra shielding on the sub-reflector provides a further reduction of ground pick-up. The optical design of the SKA1-Mid reflector antenna has been tweaked using advanced EM simulation tools in combination with sophisticated models for sky, atmospheric and ground noise contributions. This optimal antenna design in combination with very low noise, partially cryogenic, receivers and wide instantaneous bandwidth provide excellent receiving sensitivity in combination with instrumental flexibility to accommodate a wide range of astronomical observation modes.

Square Kilometre Array

reflector antenna

receiver

optimisation methods

SKA

radio astronomy

radio telescope

Författare

G. H. Tan

Jodrell Bank Observatory

R. Lehmensiek

EMSS Consulting

Bhushan Billade

Chalmers, Rymd-, geo- och miljövetenskap, Onsala rymdobservatorium

Krzysztof Caputa

National Research Council Canada

S. Gauffre

Université de Bordeaux

Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS)

I. P. Theron

EMSS Consulting

Miroslav Pantaleev

Chalmers, Rymd-, geo- och miljövetenskap, Onsala rymdobservatorium

Z. Ljusic

National Research Council Canada

B. Quertier

Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS)

Université de Bordeaux

A. Peens-Hough

Square Kilometre Array, South Africa

Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering

0277786X (ISSN) 1996756X (eISSN)

Vol. 10015 990660

SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation 2016
Edinburgh, United Kingdom,

Ämneskategorier

Telekommunikation

DOI

10.1117/12.2230897

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Senast uppdaterat

2024-07-22