基于斩波轮技术的K波段接收机噪声校准研究

接收机是射电天文中用于探测微弱射电信号的重要接收设备.接收机的强度校准就是将接收机对射电源的响应转换为天文意义上的流量密度.常规方法就是使用经典的冷热负载法,将接收机自身的强度响应转换为一个等效的温度值,之后再据此对射电源做进一步标定.通过搭建基于斩波轮技术的K波段接收机强度校准平台,使用斩波轮法测试K波段常温接收机的噪声温度,并与传统冷热负载法的测试结果进行比对.结果显示,在晴好天气条件下,斩波轮法在30°、90°仰角下噪声温度的最大测试误差为7.5%和8.4%,可以很好地应用于实际噪声温度测试中;但在5°仰角测试中,由于过低仰角引入了地面噪声,使得斩波轮法的测试误差上升至20%–30%之间而无法使用.希望在此基础上进一步开展K波段天空亮温度的理论计算与实测,从而完善斩波轮技术的应用,使之可以满足在不同气象条件下的噪声校准测试需求.     

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。     

A 22 GHz receiver with high phase stability for radioastron space-VLBI-mission

A space-qualified low-noise 22 GHz receiver for the international space-VLBI mission Radioastron has been constructed. The microwave electronics is realized by using thermally matched hybrid circuits. The most important properties of the receiver are phase stability, sensitivity and reliability. The high sensitivity is due to a cooled low noise HEMT amplifier (LNA). The measured receiver noise temperature is less than 100 K. The phase stability is achieved by compact structure and thermal stabilization. Phase stabilities of better than 0.13°/°C and 0.2°/°C for the receiver and the LNA units are measured, respectively. The calculated reliability of the receiver exceeds the requirement of 0.97 for the three year mission.     

1.2--2.2 GHz宽带低噪声放大器研制

为检测微弱的射电信号,要求望远镜接收机噪声性能良好.低噪声放大器(Low Noise Amplifier, LNA)作为接收机前端关键电路,其噪声系数和增益决定了整机的噪声性能.设计了一款1.2–2.2 GHz的低噪声放大器,电路采用两级级联结构,第2级通过引入负反馈,在改善增益平坦度和拓宽带宽的同时减小噪声,级间经过后级输入阻抗优化后仅需一个隔直电容.并引入有损输出匹配网络,实现高增益、低噪声、良好回波损耗和较为平坦的宽带LNA设计.测试结果表明,在1.2–2.2 GHz频段增益30–33 dB,噪声温度平均值为47 K,输出1 d B压缩点大于11.3 dBm.测试性能良好,可用于该频段接收机系统中.     

Mesures absolues de la temperature apparente des mers lunaires en infra-rouge

A series of measurements of infra-red apparent temperatures of ten selected sites in lunar maria has been undertaken in CERGA, using an infra-red receiver (11.3 m). The experimental procedures are described. The theory of the receiver is developed and the theory of two methods of calibration of the measurements is given. This method was applied during two campaigns in 1977 and 1978, giving 142 values of temperatures.     

A wind tunnel for the calibration of Mars wind sensors

A major limitation in the development of wind sensors for use on Mars is the lack of suitable testing and calibration facilities. A low-density wind tunnel has been developed at Oxford University for calibration of wind sensors for Mars landers, capable of providing stable or dynamically varying winds, of air or carbon dioxide, at Martian pressures (5-10 mbar) and speeds (0.5-30 m/s), and temperatures of 200-300 K. The flow field in the test section was calculated using analytical and computational modelling techniques, and validated experimentally using a pitot probe. This facility's stability and accuracy offer significant advantages with respect to previous calibration facilities.     

用陕西天文台流星雷达监测人为空间碎片可能性的分析

本文分析了利用中国科学院陕西天文台的流星雷达进行人为空间碎片监测的可能性．详细计算了到达接收机的回波的信噪比Ｓ／Ｎ依赖于目标散射横截面。和高度距离Ｒ的关系。理论计算表明，利用陕西天文台的流星雷达完全有可能监测在２００ｋｍ至１２００ｋｍ的高度范围内，半径大于０．５ｍ的人为空间碎片．     

Investigation of LO-Coupled Noise for a Sideband Separation Superconducting SIS Receiver

The Superconducting Superconductor-Insulator-Superconductor (SIS) receivers have become the preferred method for (sub)millimeter-wave radio astronomical observations due to the extremely low receiver noise temperature. The coupling noise of the local oscillator (LO) system is also a part of the receiver noise. In many years of astronomical observations, it is found that the LO-coupled noise cannot be completely ignored, which has a certain impact on the sensitivity of astronomical observations. The noise temperature of the superconducting SIS receiver was tested using two different kinds of signal generators as the primary signal source of the LO system. It is found that the base noise output by the signal generator can be coupled into the receiver to increase the receiver noise. By adding a narrow band filter to the output of the signal generator, the base noise of the signal generator can be filtered out, and this part noise of the receiver can be eliminated, the overall noise of the receiver is reduced, and the sensitivity of the telescope is improved.     

Low noise beam-lead diode mixer for the 3 mm radio astronomical receiver at the metsähovi radio research station

A 3 mm low noise beam-lead Schottky diode mixer has been developed. At cryogenic temperatures the conversion loss is 6.3 dB, and the DSB mixer noise temperature is 75 K, respectively. The mixer was installed into the cooled receiver for radioastronomical observations at the Metsähovi 13.7-m radio telescope. Total DSB noise temperature of the cooled receiver with an ultra low noise HEMT IF amplifier was 110 K at 103 GHz. The tuning range of the mixer mount was from 70 GHz to 115 GHz.     

边带分离型超导SIS接收机本振耦合噪声研究

超导SIS (Superconductor-Insulator-Superconductor)接收机因极低的接收机噪声温度成为毫米波和亚毫米波段射电天文观测的首选.本振系统耦合噪声也是接收机噪声的一部分,在多年的天文观测中,发现本振耦合噪声无法完全忽略,对天文观测的灵敏度有一定影响.采用两个不同种类的信号发生器作为本振系统初级信号源,测试了超导SIS接收机的噪声温度,发现信号发生器输出的基底噪声能够耦合到接收机内部,从而增加接收机噪声强度.分析研究了本振系统热噪声和信号发生器基底噪声对接收机噪声的影响.通过在信号发生器输入端加入窄带滤波器滤除其基底噪声,消除了信号发生器基底噪声引入的接收机噪声,降低了接收机的整体噪声,提高了望远镜的灵敏度.     

Calibrating Data from the Hinode/X-Ray Telescope and Associated Uncertainties

The X-Ray Telescope (XRT) onboard the Hinode satellite, launched 23 September 2006 by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), is a joint mission of Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom to study the solar corona. In particular, XRT was designed to study solar plasmas with temperatures between 1 and 10 MK with ≈?1″ pixels (≈?2″ resolution). Prior to analysis, the data product from this instrument must be properly calibrated and data values quantified to accurately assess the information contained within. We present here the standard methods of calibration for these data. The calibration was performed on an empirical basis that uses the least complicated correction that accurately describes the data while suppressing spurious features. By analyzing the uncertainties remaining in the data after calibration, we conclude that the procedure is successful, because the remaining uncertainty after calibration is dominated by photon noise. This calibration software is available in the SolarSoft software library.     

Interferometric observations of Saturn and its rings at a wavelength of 3 3.71 cm

Interferometric observations of Saturn and its rings made at the Owens Valley Radio Observatory at a wavelength of 3.71 cm ar fit to models of the Saturn brightness structure. The models have allowed us to estimate the brightness temperatures and optical thicknesses of the A, B, and C rings as well as the brightness temperature of the planetary disk. The most accurate results are the ratios of the ring temperatures to the planet temperature of 0.030 ± 0.012, 0.050 ± 0.010, and 0.040 ± 0.014 for the A, B, and C rings, respectively. The best estimates of the ring optical thicknesses are τ_A = 0.2 ± 0.1, τ_B = 0.9 ± 0.2, and τ_C = 0.1 ± 0.1. The actual brightness temperatures, which are affected by the absolute calibration errors, are T_planet = 178 ± 8, T_A = 5.2 ± 2.0, T_B = 9.1 ± 1.8, and T_C = 7.1 ± 2.6°K. The particle single-scattering albedo that would be most consistent with the observations is slightly less than one, but probably greater than 0.95. The observations are consistent with particles which conservatively scatter the thermal emission from Saturn to the Earth and emit no thermal emission of their own. The 3.71-cm optical depths which we have estimated are very close to the visible wavelength optical depths. This similarity indicates that the ring particles must be at least a few centimeters in size, although we feel that the particles may well be much larger than this in view of the closeness of the visible and microwave optical depths. Particles which are nearly conservative scatterers at our wavelength and at least a few centimeters in size must be composed of a material which is either a very good reflector of microwaves or a very poor absorber of them. At this time, water ice seems to be the most likely candidate since it is a very poor absorber of microwaves and has been detected in the rings spectroscopically.     

13mm低温制冷谱线接收系统和星际水分子观测研究

为了开拓短厘米波单天线星际分子的观测和研究,在乌鲁木齐天文站２５ｍ射电望远镜１３ｍｍ低温制冷接收机的基础上,配置了声表面波频谱仪和谱线数据采集系统,组成了１３ｍｍ低温致冷谱线接收机．接收机前端是一个工作在低温２０Ｋ的低噪声放大器,本振是２２ＧＨｚ的锁相源．接收机的平均噪声温度为５０Ｋ．后端是一个宽带的（４０ＭＨｚ）高分辨率（４０ｋＨｚ）的声表波频谱仪．利用这套系统观测了一批已知的水脉泽源,观测系统正常,结果合理．观测结果表明,乌鲁木齐天文站良好的站址和２５ｍ射电望远镜给厘米波段星际分子谱线观测提供了一个很好的条件．     

CMB observations: improvements of the performance of correlation radiometers by signal modulation and synchronous detection

Observation of the fine structures (anisotropies, polarization, spectral distortions) of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) is hampered by instabilities, 1/f noise and asymmetries of the radiometers used to carry on the measurements. Addition of modulation and synchronous detection allows to increase the overall stability and the noise rejection of the radiometers used for CMB studies. In this paper we discuss the advantages this technique has when we try to detect CMB polarization. The behaviour of a two channel correlation receiver to which phase modulation and synchronous detection have been added is examined. Practical formulae for evaluating the improvements are presented.     

On the solar origin of the thermoluminescence profile of the GT14 core

The thermoluminescence (TL) profile of the GT14 Ionian Sea core has been recently analyzed in connection with other records of solar activity. Phenomenological similarities among the TL profile, the radiocarbon record in tree-rings and the variations of the mean anuual sunspot number R _z suggest a solar control of the TL signal. In this paper we consider new readings of the TL profile of the GT14 core which were obtained at different glow temperatures. While the main spectral peaks discussed in previous papers are observed in all readings, a few new significant periodic components may now be separated from the noise background. Among these, a strong 22 yr (Hale) cycle is evident, together with a periodicity of 28.5 yr which has already been detected in the spectrum of the sunspot number series. We finally test the temporal persistency of the main TL periodic components by using a cyclogram method and we explore the effects of background noise by considering the TL profile of bleached samples.     

RF Design of a Wideband CMOS Integrated Receiver for Phased Array Applications

New silicon CMOS processes developed primarily for the burgeoning wireless networking market offer significant promise as a vehicle for the implementation of highly integrated receivers, especially at the lower end of the frequency range proposed for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). An RF-CMOS ‘Receiver-on-a-Chip’ is being developed as part of an Australia Telescope program looking at technologies associated with the SKA. The receiver covers the frequency range 500–1700 MHz, with instantaneous IF bandwidth of 500 MHz and, on simulation, yields an input noise temperature of < 50 K at mid-band. The receiver will contain all active circuitry (LNA, bandpass filter, quadrature mixer, anti-aliasing filter, digitiser and serialiser) on one 0.18 μm RF-CMOS integrated circuit. This paper outlines receiver front-end development work undertaken to date, including design and simulation of an LNA using noise cancelling techniques to achieve a wideband input-power-match with little noise penalty.     

The Operation of Multi-beam Receiver of Delingha 13.7 m Telescope

Delingha 13.7 m telescope is one of the most important radio telescopes in China. Since installing the superconducting spectroscopic array receiver (SSAR) and adopting the On The Fly (OTF) observation mode, the telescope has operated for nearly 10 years. During this period, a large number of astronomical observation projects have been carried out and completed, a large amount of astronomical data have been accumulated, and a series of important scientific results have been achieved. This paper introduces the operating status of SSAR in astronomical observations, the problems in operations, as well as the fault phenomena and solutions. The performance test and performance analysis of SSAR are described in detail, including the receiver noise temperature and telescope system noise temperature, image rejection ratio (IRR), receiver stability, beam performance and so on. The updating and development of SSAR are listed, including the automatic adjustment of LO (Local Oscillator) power, the updating of pre-amplification circuits of the sideband separation superconducting mixer, and the optimization of control program, etc. This paper summarizes the experiences and rules, and connects the past with the future, for applying the experiences of the maintenance and operation of SSAR to the next-generation large-scale receiver system.     

Rapid mapping of the sky at 240 MHz using the antennas of the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope

In this paper we describe a method for measuring the effective receiver temperature T _erc and its variation for the entire receiver chain of a radio telescope, and use it to make a radio-continuum map of the sky at 240 MHz using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT). We also show that in the case of GMRT, T _erc varies mainly with elevation and ambient temperature. The calibration techniques evolved here are applicable to similar interferometers with a large number of antennas, several frequency bands and a number of receiver systems at room temperature (where conventional methods are time-consuming). This method ideally requires just one complete day of observations in a frequency band.     

Thermal evolution of the moon

The thermal history and current state of the lunar interior are investigated using constraints imposed by recent geological and physical data. Theoretical temperature models are computed taking into account different initial conditions, heat sources, differentiation and simulated convection. To account for the early formation of the lunar highlands, the time duration of magmatism and presentday temperatures estimated from lunar electrical conductivity profiles, it is necessary to restrict initial temperatures and abundances of radioactivie elements. Successful models require that the outer half of the Moon initially heated to melting temperatures, probably due to rapid accretion. Differentiation of radioactive heat sources toward the lunar surface occurred during the first 1.6 billion years. Temperatures in the outer 500 km are currently low, while the deep interior (radius less than 700 to 1000 km) is warmer than 1000°C, and is of primordial material. In some models there is a partially melted core. The calculated surface heat flux is between 25 and 30 erg/cm² s.Presently at the Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle, North Carolina 27709, U.S.A.