大型射电望远镜主反射面调整方法研究

随着毫米波天文学和空间通信的重要性日益提高, 对天线性能提出了越来越高的要求, 而天线性能往往受到其反射器表面精度的限制. 微波全息技术是一种快速有效的检测反射面天线表面轮廓的测量技术. 通过微波全息测量得到天线口径场, 计算天马65m射电望远镜反射面与理想抛物面的偏差. 天马65m射电望远镜的主反射面板是放射状的, 有14圈. 面板的每个角都固定在面板下方促动器的螺栓上进行上下移动, 且相邻面板交点处的拐角共用一个促动器. 采用平面拟合的方法可以计算各块面板拐角处的调整值, 但是同一个促动器会得到4个不同的调整量. 通过平面拟合, 同时以天线照明函数为权重的平差计算方法得到相邻面板拐角的一个平差值, 即天马65m射电望远镜1104个促动器的最佳调整值. 通过多次调整和新算法的应用, 天马65m射电望远镜反射面的面形精度逐渐提高到了0.24mm.     

Subreflector model depending on elevation for the Tianma 65m Radio Telescope

A subreflector adjustment system for the Tianma 65 m radio telescope, administered by Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, has been installed to compensate for gravitational deformation of the main reflector and the structure supporting the subreflector. The position and attitude of the subreflector are variable in order to improve the efficiency at different elevations. The subreflector model has the goal of improving the antenna's performance. A new fitting formulation which is different from the traditional formulation is proposed to reduce the fitting error in the Y direction. The only difference in the subreflector models of the 65 m radio telescope is the bias of a constant term in the Z direction. We have investigated the effect of movements of the subreflector on the pointing of the antenna. The results of these performance measurements made by moving the antenna in elevation show that the subreflector model can effectively improve the efficiency of the 65 m radio telescope at each elevation. An antenna efficiency of about 60% at the K u band is reached in the whole angular range of elevation.     

A Research on the Gravity Deformation of Delingha 13.7m Telescope

Based on digital photogrammetric measurements, the antenna panels of the Delingha 13.7m radio telescope are adjusted to make the main dish have an optimal paraboloidal surface at the elevation of 52°, thus the overall antenna efficiency is optimized for different observing elevations. Observations indicate that the aperture efficiency of the telescope has been improved approximately twice in comparison with the antenna panels adjusted on the basis of theodolite measurements. According to the results of the measurements at different elevations, the models of antenna gravity deformation are built, including the displacement and tilt angle of the subreflector, as well as the focal length and surface error of the main reflector, as functions of elevation angle. In the process of modeling the gravity deformation of the main dish, instead of the direct calculation method, the least square fitting on the measured surface errors at different elevation angles is adopted, in order to reduce the effect of measurement errors on the accuracy of the model.     

紫金山天文台13：7米射电望远镜天线表面精度的首次射电全息测量

１９９２年１月，在紫金山天文台１３．７米毫米波望远镜上进行了用射电全息术的相位恢复方法测量天线表面精度的尝试。利用望远镜的２２ＧＨｚ系统，用强水脉泽源ＯＲＩＯＮ－ＫＬ作为信号源测量了天线的聚焦和偏焦方向图，采用Ｍｉｓｅｌｌ算法获得了天线口面上的相位分布，由此得到的天线表面相对于理想抛物面偏差的均方根值与１９８９年用经典的经纬仪带尺方法测量的结果基本相符。     

Active sub-reflector research for a large radio telescope

This paper proposes an active sub-reflector suitable for large radio telescopes, which can compensate both of the deformation of the main reflector and sub-reflector position offsets. The mathematical formula of the main reflector deformation compensated by the sub-reflector is deduced based on Cassegrain and Gregory antenna structures. The position of the sub-reflector is adjustable to compensate for defocusing errors on high and low elevations, which are mainly caused by the deformation of the sub-reflector supporting legs. In this paper, the method of obtaining the optimum position of the sub-reflector from the aperture phase by the interferometric method is introduced. The actual measurement is verified on the Tianma 65 m radio telescope, which provides a new way to diagnose the position error of the sub-reflector.     

An adjustment method for active reflector of large high-frequency antennas considering gain and boresight

The design of the Qitai 110 m Radio Telescope(QTT) with large aperture and very high working frequency(115 GHz) was investigated in Xinjiang, China. The results lead to a main reflector with high surface precision and high pointing precision. In this paper, the properties of active surface adjustment in a deformed parabolic reflector antenna are analyzed. To assure the performance of large reflector antennas such as gain and boresight, which can be obtained by utilizing an electromechanical coupling model, and satisfy them simultaneously, research on active surface adjustment applied to a new parabolic reflector as target surface has been done. Based on the initial position of actuators and the relationship between adjustment points and target points, a novel mathematical model and a program thatdirectly calculates the movements of actuators have been developed for guiding the active surface adjustment of large reflector antennas. This adjustment method is applied to an 8 m reflector antenna,in which we only consider gravity deformation. The results show that this method is more efficient in adjusting the surface and improving the working performance.     

EMC design for actuators in the FAST reflector

An active reflector is one of the three main innovations incorporated in the Five-hundredmeter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope(FAST).The deformation of such a huge spherically shaped reflector into different transient parabolic shapes is achieved by using 2225 hydraulic actuators which change the position of the 2225 nodes through the connected down tied cables.For each different tracking process of the telescope,more than 1/3 of these 2225 actuators must be in operation to tune the parabolic aperture accurately and meet the surface error restriction.This means that some of these actuators are inevitably located within the main beam of the receiver,and Electromagnetic Interference(EMI)from the actuators must be mitigated to ensure the scientific output of the telescope.Based on the threshold level of interference detrimental to radio astronomy described in ITU-R Recommendation RA.769 and EMI measurements,the shielding efficiency(SE)requirement for each actuator is set to be 80 d B in the frequency range from 70 MHz to 3 GHz.Therefore,Electromagnetic Compatibility(EMC)was taken into account in the actuator design by measures such as power line filters,optical fibers,shielding enclosures and other structural measures.In 2015,all the actuators had been installed at the FAST site.Till now,no apparent EMI from the actuators has been detected by the receiver,which demonstrates the effectiveness of these EMC measures.     

Correction Method of Antenna Pointing Error Caused by the Main Reflector Deformation

The pointing accuracy of a radio telescope is usually less than one-tenth of its antenna beam width. For large-aperture antennas at the short-centimeter band or millimeter-wave band, the pointing accuracy must be as high as several arc seconds. Therefore, for large-diameter and high-frequency reflector antennas, the pointing problem has become an important focal point to realize the antenna performance. Among many structural subsystem factors that affect the antenna pointing accuracy, there has been only less study on the factor of main reflector deformation. Based on the structural characteristics of the antenna, a reflector space coordinate system is established in this paper. And based on the space coordinates of the main reflector surface points after deformation, a non-linear least squares fitting method with 3 degrees of freedom is proposed to accurately predict the antenna pointing. Finally, the space geometric relationship is used to strictly derive the precise adjustments on the elevation and azimuth in order for correcting the antenna pointing error, and the indirect relationship between the main reflector deformation and the pointing error is constructed. This has certain guiding significance for improving the pointing accuracy of large radio antennas.     

New telescopes in China

This paper covers the main aspects of three new optical telescopes: a 1.26 m aperture one for use in the infrared, a 1.56 m aperture one for astrometry, and a 2.16 m reflector for general astrophysical work. It also briefly mentions the 13.7 m telescope designed for the mm wavelength band, the first VLBI in China and the meter wavelength aperture synthesis telescope. All these telescopes, optical and radio, are now being built in China.Paper presented at the IAU Third Asian-Pacific Regional Meeting, held in Kyoto, Japan, between 30 September–6 October, 1984.     

FAST单元面板面型检测算法研究

500 m口径球面射电望远镜(Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope,FAST)是一个超大口径的可动望远镜,有三项技术创新,一是选址,二是轻型馈源索支撑,三是主动反射面。在主动反射面上,单元面板的面型和面板的出厂加工精度对电磁波在反射面的汇聚有很大影响。FAST主反射面由4 600块三角形反射面板拼接而成,每块面板为边长11 m三角形,这对FAST反射面面板的测量技术提出了更高的要求。摄影测量直接在影像上进行量测,无需接触物体本身;所摄影像信息丰富,可以从中获得所研究物体的大量几何信息和物理信息;适用于大范围、多目标测量,效率高。目前世界上最大的射电望远镜,如GBT和ARECIBO都是采用摄影测量技术进行反射面面形检测。在对现有的面型检测技术调研并试验后,提出基于数字近景摄影测量的方法,对FAST反射面11 m单元面板的面型进行检测,数分钟完成反射面板面型的一次检测,测量精度达到2.5 mm,经过调整后的单元面板的面型精度达到了3.0 mm,结果表明摄影测量应用于FAST反射面单元面板面型检测是可行的。     

A Study of the Fitting Accuracy of the Active Reflector for a Large Spherical Radio Telescope

We propose a spatial three-degree-of-freedom (DOF) parallel mechanism combining two degrees of rotations and one degree of translation to support the active reflector units of a large spherical radio telescope. The kinematics, workspace and accuracy of the mechanism are analyzed. One-dimensional and two-dimensional fitting errors to the working region of active reflector are investigated. Dimensional parameters of the mechanism and active reflector unit are examined with respect to the requirement of fitting accuracy. The result of accuracy analysis shows the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed mechanism, and gives a design rule to guarantee the highest working frequency required by large radio telescope.     

The optical reflector system for the CANGAROO-II imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope

A new imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope with a light-weight reflector has been constructed. Light, robust, and durable mirror facets of containing carbon fiber reinforced plastic laminates were developed for the telescope. The reflector has a parabolic shape (f/1.1) with a 30 m² surface area, which consists of 60 spherical mirror facets. The image size of each mirror facet is 0°.08 (FWHM) on average. The attitude of each facet can be adjusted by stepping motors. After the first in situ adjustment, a point image of about 0°.14 (FWHM) over 3° field of view was obtained. The effect of gravitational load on the optical system was confirmed to be negligible at the focal plane. The telescope has been in operation with an energy threshold for γ-rays of 300 GeV since May 1999.     

Conceptual Design of the Aluminum Reflector Antenna for DATE5

DATE5,a 5 m telescope for terahertz exploration, was proposed for acquiring observations at Dome A, Antarctica. In order to observe the terahertz spectrum, it is necessary to maintain high surface accuracy in the the antenna when it is exposed to Antarctic weather conditions. Structural analysis shows that both machined aluminum and carbon fiber reinforced plastic(CFRP) panels can meet surface accuracy requirements. In this paper, one design concept based on aluminum panels is introduced. This includes panel layout, details on panel support, design of a CFRP backup structure, and detailed finite element analysis.Modal, gravity and thermal analysis are all performed and surface deformations of the main reflector are evaluated for all load cases. At the end of the paper, the manufacture of a prototype panel is also described.Based on these results, we found that using smaller aluminum reflector panels has the potential to meet the surface requirements in the harsh Dome A environment.     

超大口径射电望远镜温度场分析

随着天线口径增大、频率升高,日照热对其性能的影响愈发严重.针对待建的新疆110 m大口径全可动射电望远镜,建立其热分析有限元模型,研究天线在夏至日不同太阳时刻的温度场分布特性.结果如下:一天中,主反射面的最高温度可达42.86℃,出现在14时,同时刻撑腿的温度也达到峰值,为41.74℃.背架水平分区温差在5时、18时、19.5时均超过1℃,会对天线指向性能产生较大影响.夜间天线结构温度分布亦不均匀,俯仰结构的温差明显高于其他构件,最大温差为6.42℃,通过数值模拟与试验相结合的方法,证明了构件的壁厚差异是导致结构夜间温差较大的主要原因.     

A preliminary study on photogrammetry for the FAST main reflector measurement

The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope(FAST) is the largest single-dish radio telescope in the world. In this paper, we apply photogrammetry to measure local area surface accuracy of the FAST main reflector. Contrast with the existing photogrammetric methods that need to stick the cooperation target on the panel. In this paper, we directly detect nodes according to their natural feature. Analyzing the FAST reflector composition, we propose a two-step Hough transform method for node detection. Due to the high similarity of the neighboring area around nodes, it is hard to match two images by the feature matching method. Therefore, we apply the nodes combination approach to obtain the homography matrix between two photos for nodes matching. After nodes detection and matching,triangulation and bundle adjustment algorithms are adopted for 3 D reconstruction. During the experiment,the adjusted node position deform a local area of the FAST main reflector into a spherical cap with a radius of 300 m. The experimental result shows that the measurement accuracy of the sphere with a radius of 300 m is 12.299 mm, indicating that it is feasible to apply photogrammetry for the FAST main reflector measurement.     

基于光学辅助指向测量的太赫兹望远镜指向误差模型研究

针对太赫兹波段天文点源目标较少, 指向测量相对困难的特点, 研究了利用与太赫兹天线共轴的小型光学望远镜来辅助太赫兹望远镜指向测量以及建立指向误差修正模型的方法. 依托紫金山天文台1.2 m斜轴式太赫兹天线开展了光学辅助指向测量的实验研究, 利用一台安装在天线背架上的100mm口径折射式光学望远镜获得了优于2$''$的指向测量精度. 此外, 通过对斜轴天线的结构分析以及大气折射和本地恒星时(Local Sidereal Time, LST)偏差等误差来源的分析, 建立了包含23个误差项的斜轴式光学指向修正模型, 实现了约3$''$的拟合精度. 最后, 借助高精度数字摄影测量对光电轴一致性进行了标定, 并针对其对指向模型精度的影响进行了讨论. 研究成果将为南极5 m太赫兹望远镜(The 5m Dome A Terahertz Explorer, DATE5)及其他太赫兹望远镜提供指向测量和指向修正模型方面的技术参考.     

Site selection for a radio astronomy observatory in Turkey: atmospherical, meteorological, and radio frequency analyses

Selecting the future site for a large Turkish radio telescope is a key issue. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is now in the stage of construction at a site near Karaman City, in Turkey. A single-dish parabolic radio antenna of 30?C40 m will be installed near a building that will contain offices, laboratories, and living accommodations. After a systematic survey of atmospheric, meteorological, and radio frequency interference (RFI) analyses, site selection studies were performed in a predetermined location in Turkey during 2007 and 2008. In this paper, we described the experimental procedure and the RFI measurements on our potential candidate??s sites in Turkey, covering the frequency band from 1 to 40 GHz.     

基于FS系统对乌鲁木齐VLBI射电望远镜进行天线测量

在天文观测中射电望远镜性能参数的好坏直接影响到观测数据质量,为了保证观测质量,提高观测效率,需要对天线性能进行测量.当前进行天线测量的方法有场地测量法和射电天文法,不同的方法应用范围和效果不同.对于大型天线而言采用射电天文法进行天线测量高效快捷.针对VLBI射电望远镜,介绍了使用终端FS系统对天线参数进行测量（基于射电天文法）的方法和过程,以乌鲁木齐南山25 m天线增益和指向精度测量作为范例,重点叙述了测量的方法和步骤,并对该方法进行了讨论.     

射电天文中焦面阵或多波束馈源的应用

焦面阵技术或者多波束馈源系统已经日益广泛地应用于现代射电望远镜，因为它可以充分地利用同一射电望远镜反射面所能提供的信息，在观测比射电望远镜方向瓣大得多的展源时数倍乃至数十倍地提高观测的速度；当存在大气层或电离层的起伏或不均匀影响观测成像质量时，可消除这种影响，提高观测质量；利用焦面阵各单个馈源接收到的信息的互相关，则可以实时监控射电望远镜的反射面、二次反射面、指向精度，从而降低地面上大射电望远镜或空间射电望远镜的精度要求和造价。目前焦面阵已经愈来愈广泛地配置在毫米波射电望远镜和大型射电望远镜的主要波段。对此作了一个较新和全面的评述，对焦面阵应用中的限制，包括相位误差的限制和性能价格比的考虑和可能的前景作了简要的介绍。还分析了在计划中的大型主动球反射面射电望远镜（即FAST）上，配置焦面阵的相应限制、问题和难点，提出了初步的建议，并给出经中英双方讨论后初步拟定的FAST频段、波束及低噪声放大器的配置。