Array Signal Processing for Radio Astronomy

Radio astronomy forms an interesting application area for array signal processing techniques. Current synthesis imaging telescopes consist of a small number of identical dishes, which track a fixed patch in the sky and produce estimates of the time-varying spatial covariance matrix. The observations sometimes are distorted by interference, e.g., from radio, TV, radar or satellite transmissions. We describe some of the tools that array signal processing offers to filter out the interference, based on eigenvalue decompositions and factor analysis, which is a more general technique applicable to partially calibrated arrays. We consider detection of interference, spatial filtering techniques using projections, and discuss how a reference antenna pointed at the interferer can improve the performance. We also consider image formation and its relation to beamforming.     

应用于射电天文的低噪声温度测量方法

噪声温度是接收机和低噪声放大器最重要的性能指标,是了解设备性能好坏的关键因素。随着电子技术的快速发展,接收机和低噪声放大器的噪声温度变得越来越低,准确而快速地测量接收机和低噪声放大器的噪声温度变得非常困难。介绍了6种在射电天文中经常使用的测量低噪声温度的方法,这些测量方法具有准确可靠、简单易行的优点。叙述了测量原理并给出了一些测量方法的测量结果,对影响测量噪声温度精度并且易被忽视的因素也做了详细讨论。     

Protection of Radio Astronomy Frequency in China

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数字滤波技术在射电天文测量中的应用

随着数字技术的发展，数字信号处理芯片的速度越来越快，这为高速数字滤波的实时实现提供了可能。简要阐述了数字滤波的原理，并对两种数字滤波的实现方法进行了分析；给出了数字滤波较模拟滤波的优势；介绍了数字滤波在射电天文测量中的各种应用。     

云南天文台太阳射电研究进展

回顾了自１９７９年以来云南天文台太阳射电天文仪器、技术和方法以及研究方面的进展。     

用于射电天文数字频谱仪的新进展

根据在射电天文频谱观测中出现的新需求,介绍了近年来数字技术的新进展.达到GHz采样速率的多位高速模数转换器(Analog-to-Digital Converter,ADC)、海量数字处理芯片现场可编程门阵列(Field Progxammable Gate Array,FPGA)以及运行在这些芯片上的并行快速傅里叶变换知识产权(Fast Fourier,Transform Intellectual Property,FFT IP)内核,结合高性能数据总线的系统集成,为射电天文构建新型FFT频谱仪提供了可能的技术选择.与现有其他类型频谱仪相比,集成了这些新技术的数字型FFT频谱仪有更大的带宽、更高的谱分辨率、更高的动态范围和整体稳定性,此类频谱仪的出现显示了射电频谱技术已经进入了新一代数字技术应用的阶段.     

毫米波太阳射电的观测研究

综述了毫米波太阳射电的观测研究概况，着重介绍一些中，大型的毫米波太阳射电观测设备最新的观测结果。     

孔径阵列技术及其在射电天文中的应用

该文概述了近十余年来得到较多研究和发展的孔径阵列技术及其在射电天文中的应用,如高效馈源照明、扩大单反射面射电望远镜的视场、高效多波束、射频干扰抑制、对射电望远镜反射面缺陷的补偿等.随着孔径阵列(Aperture Array Tiles,简称 AAT)技术的日益成熟和成本的降低,AAT技术有可能成为全新一代射电望远镜(例如无反射面射电望远镜和软件射电望远镜)的基石.     

Radio Interferometric Observations of the Sun Using Commercial Dish TV Antennas

This memoir is a summary of my early childhood, education, and research career at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington, DC. I describe my early interest in astronomy and how I wound up working in the fields of solar physics and X-ray-UV spectroscopy of high temperature plasmas. I describe some of my home life and other interests, my education at the University of Pittsburgh, and the various projects and management activities that I have been fortunate to work on at NRL. I have been blessed with being able to work at a first-class research laboratory populated by outstanding scientists. I am particularly blessed to have worked with my many friends and colleagues in the NRL Space Science Division. Perhaps I am most blessed by having had wonderful parents that gave me the interests I have in life and the passion to pursue them, and an outstanding wife that has been my partner through good and bad times for over 50 years. I am now retired but for three years I was a participant in the NRL Voluntary Emeritus Program (VEP). However, this memoir is a personal account, and not work done as a VEP.

     

Degradation due to Quantization Noise in Radio Astronomy Phased Arrays

In this article, a model is developed for determining the probability distribution of the output of a digital adder in case of 2-, 3- and 4-level quantization before summation. This probability distribution is then used to determine the efficiency of a system which determines the total power of the signal at the output of the digital adder.The sum-signal is also used in a VLBI correlation mode where the sum-signal is correlated with the signal from a VLBI partner. The efficiency, expressed in so-called Degradation Factors, is determined for 1- and 2-bit correlation and 2-, 3- and 4-level quantization before summation.Furthermore, the application of the calculated values (Total Power Detector Efficiencies and Degradation Factors) is illustrated.     

A High-Temperature Superconducting Wideband Bandpass Filter at the L Band for Radio Astronomy

In order to ensure the normal operation of radio astronomy observations, an extremely sensitive receiver system needs to be equipped in front of the large radio telescope. An 8-pole wideband high-temperature superconducting(HTS) filter using a Coplanar Spiral Resonator Structure with a passband of 1160～1670 MHz is developed to suppress strong radio interference. The filter is fabricated on a 36 mm × 14 mm YBCO HTS film, which is deposited on a 0.5 mm thick MgO substrate. The minimum insertion lo...     

The Pushchino Radio Astronomy Observatory: origin and first decade's history

The first radio astronomical investigations in the Lebedev Physical Institute are described. Some details of the large radio telescopes construction in Pushchino Radio Astronomy Observatory as well as the most significant scientific results obtained with them are quoted in the paper, too. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

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。     

Electronic Multi-beam Radio Astronomy Concept: Embrace a Demonstrator for the European SKA Program

ASTRON has demonstrated the capabilities of a 4 m², dense phased array antenna (Bij de Vaate et al., 2002) for radio astronomy, as part of the Thousand Element Array project (ThEA). Although it proved the principle, a definitive answer related to the viability of the dense phased array approach for the SKA could not be given, due to the limited collecting area of the array considered. A larger demonstrator has therefore been defined, known as “Electronic Multi-Beam Radio Astronomy Concept”, EMBRACE, which will have an area of 625 m², operate in the band 0.4–1.550 GHz and have at least two independent and steerable beams. With this collecting area EMBRACE can function as a radio astronomy instrument whose sensitivity is comparable to that of a 25-m diameter dish. The collecting area also represents a significant percentage area (∼10%) of an individual SKA “station.” This paper presents the plans for the realisation of the EMBRACE demonstrator.     

lbb-用于射电天文VLBI基带数据读写的库

Library for Baseband (lbb)是一个自研的用于读取解析甚长基线干涉测量(Very Long Baseline Interferometry, VLBI)基带数据的工具库,主要用于VLBI观测中对终端基带数据的读取、解析及输出结果分析.该软件库通过对基带数据的自动判断,自动实现读取不同数据格式的功能,并提供了各种各样的API (Application Programming Interface)功能供用户调用.目前lbb软件库已经成功应用在了探月工程VLBI测轨任务中的硬件相关处理机配置项和测地VLBI观测数据的预处理.文章详细介绍了lbb软件库的设计、功能及用法.     

多相滤波器组谱分析方法的性能讨论与天文观测应用

多相滤波器组(PFB)是均匀数字滤波器组的一种高效实现结构,用于信号的均匀子带分解和抽取,对应用多相滤波器组作为功率谱估计器的统计性能与计算量进行分析,与相关图与周期图方法进行比较,并通过仿真及FAST密云模型21cm中性氢谱线观测检验其应用效果。     

电子设备电磁辐射评估软件设计及实现

射电天文台址内仪器设备众多,电磁环境复杂,电磁兼容设计、屏蔽设计及辐射评估均依赖基于测试的数据处理与分析,而程序化是提高测试及数据分析效率的唯一手段。浅析了电磁辐射评估系统的硬件组成、评估流程、软件开发目标及关键技术点;基于软件需求分析及评估过程中的数据传递、数据处理及数据存储,给出了评估软件的设计流程图、数据流图及二维差值算法流程图;分析了电磁辐射评估过程中主要数据特征,开发了基于数据源、数据库的数据存储及管理模块。其次,基于Microsoft Visual Studio 2010开发平台,通过大量的程序调试与界面优化,完成了电磁辐射评估软件开发,能够对仪器设备辐射特性进行快速测试、分析与评估,为射电天文台址电磁兼容性改造和射电望远镜系统兼容性设计提供重要的参考依据。