Digital multichannel spectrometer for solar microwave observations

Observations of solar microwave bursts have shown fine structures (e.g., the millisecond spikes), not resolvable in time and frequency by existing instruments. In order to investigate these features in greater detail we have developed a spectrometer with high temporal and spectral resolution. The frequency range from 3000 to 4000 MHz is covered by 32 channels with different bandwidths (0.1, 5, and 20 MHz). The instrument is fully controlled by a multiprocessor computer system and allows the recording of about 200 000 measurements per second. Thus it is possible to observe the intensity and the circular polarization of all the 32 channels with a time resolution of about 350 s. A very flexible frequency selection system allows the use of many different observation modes.