Receiver Systems
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Receiver Systems Alex Dunning The Basic Structure of a typical Radio Telescope Antenna Receiver Conversion Digitiser Signal Processing / Correlator CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy They are much the same CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy Radiotelescope Receivers CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy Radio Receivers “A radio receiver converts signals from a radio antenna to a usable form” Wikipedia CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy Ours look more like this... • Captures the signal reflected from the antenna • Amplifies the signal Compact Array 3/7/12mm Receiver CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy Or this... Parkes 10/50cm Receiver CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy Or this... ASKAP Phased Array Receiver CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy Some even look like this... Allen Telescope Log Periodic Receiver CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy The Receiver On the outside... Vacuum Dewar Feed Horns CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy The Receiver On the inside... Ortho-Mode Amplifiers Transducers CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy system temperature minimum detectable T flux S sys Ae RF Integration Time Effective Collecting Area Observing Bandwidth CSIRO. Wide Band Receiver Upgrade of the CASS Compact Array CSIRO. The Australia Telescope Receivers Receiver Systems for Radio for Radio Astronomy SystemsReceiver 1:2.5 bandwidth 1:2.5 L/S 10cm-25cm Current upgrade Current 4.6cm-6.7cm C/X 3.2cm-3.7cm 2.5cm-7cm 1:1.65 bandwidth 1:1.65 K 12mm-18.7mm Q 6mm-10mm 1:1.25 bandwidth 1:1.25 O2 absorption W 2.8mm-3.5mm Parkes Receiver Bands CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy Where do they go? CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy In a prime focus... The Receiver goes here CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy In a Cassegrain system... The Receiver goes here CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy Receiving the signal – Feed horns Feed Signal Captures the focused microwaves into a waveguide output Waveguide output CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy Feed Horns CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy Feed Horns E 0 B 0 B E t E B J 0 0 0 t CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy Detour: Waveguides • Replace cables at high frequencies • Operate like optical fibres for microwaves • Only work over a limited frequency range • Can support signals with two polarisations CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy A Tale of Two Feedhorns CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy A Tale of Two Feedhorns Corrugated Smooth Walled E-Field At Feed mouth 300 300 250 250 200 200 X and Y Feed 150 150 Gain Patterns Gain 100 100 50 50 0 0 -25 -20 -15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15 20 25 -25 -20 -15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15 20 25 Theta [deg] Theta [deg] CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy sin 1 d d CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy Coupling noise into the System Feed Coupler Signal Noise source Noise coupled 7mm waveguide coupler in through small holes Noise coupled in through vane 21cm waveguide coupler 12mm noise source CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy Separating Polarisations – Ortho-mode Transducers (OMTs) 3mm Ortho-mode transducer Pol A Feed Coupler Polariser Signal Noise source Pol B Separates incoming signal into two linear or circular polarisations Linear OMTs exhibit higher polarisation purity over broad frequency bands (usually) 12mm Ortho-mode transducer 4cm Ortho-mode transducer CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy Separating Polarisations – Ortho-mode Transducers (OMTs) CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy Low Noise Amplifiers (LNA) Pol A Feed Coupler Polariser LNA Signal To conversion Noise source System Pol B LNA High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT) CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy Why is the first Low Noise Amplifier so important? T2 T3 T4 Tsystem T1 GainLNA GainLNA G2 GainLNA G2 G3 T 1 T2 T3 Feed Signal LNA Second Third Stage Stage Amplifier Amplifier Pol A Feed Coupler Polariser LNA Signal To conversion Noise source System Pol B LNA ….so although receiver topologies can be quite varied I’m saying that this is a pretty typical structure of our receivers …………and the Compact Array 3/7/12 mm systems reflect this. CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy The Phased Array Approach CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy Getting more from each antenna • Simple Receiver Collects 4/20 CSIRO. Getting more from each antenna • Simple Receiver Collects • Phased Array Feed • collects more (~every /2) 4/20 CSIRO. Getting more from each antenna • Simple Receiver Collects • Phased Array Feed • collects more (~every /2) • allows corrections 4/20 CSIRO. Connected Array • Start with a simple array of dipoles • Join them together LNA + Conversion + Digital beamformer Filtering Weighted (complex) sum of inputs 5/20 CSIRO. Connected Chequerboard Array • Complete sampling of focal region fields • Digital beamforming LNA + Conversion + Digital beamformer Filtering Weighted (complex) sum of inputs 6/20 CSIRO. Single Beam Excitation of a Phased Array CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy What is the rest of the stuff? What’s this? What’s this? CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy Electronics • Supplies and monitors all amplifier voltages and currents • Monitors system temperatures and pressures CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy Cryogenics 15K section 80K section Helium Compressor Cold finger Refrigerator in the Parkes 12mm receiver Helium Lines Helium Refrigerator CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy Gap Thermal Isolation waveguide Vacuum Dewar 15K section Low Noise Helium Refrigerator Amplifiers cold finger Copper Radiation Shield 80K CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy ….but why do we need to cool our receivers at all? …………well first CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy How weak is the signal? Effective area of Parkes telescope dish 10Jy radio source → -26 -2 -1 2 9 10 × 10 W m Hz × 1900m × 1 × 10 Hz -13 = 2× 10 W Bandwidth of Digital Filter Bank 3 Boltzmann's constant Your Hand → 1.38× 10-23 W Hz-1K-1 × 300K × 1 × 109 Hz = 4 × 10-12 W Mobile Phone → ≈ 1W Lunar Distance 3G transmit Mobile Phone on the moon→ bandwidth 8 2 6 ≈ 1W ÷ 4π (3.8×10 m) ÷ 5×10 Hz ≈ 10Jy CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy Like your hand all the components in the receiver system contribute a thermal noise signal which masks the astronomical signal we are trying to observe. By cooling the receiver we reduce these thermal sources of noise and improve the sensitivity of the receiver by 7-10 times. CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy Reduce noise by cooling Electronic device generates a signal Cold stuff (liquid nitrogen) CSIRO. Receiver Systems for Radio Astronomy CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science Alex Dunning RF Engineer Phone: 02 9372 4346 Email: [email protected] Web: www.csiro.au/org/CASS Thank you Contact Us Phone: 1300 363 400 or +61 3 9545 2176 Email: [email protected] Web: www.csiro.au .