Experimental radio cosmology

Abstract:

We describe the development of two circularly symmetric antennas with high polarization purity and low spill-over. Both were designed to be used in an all-sky polarization and intensity survey at 5 GHz (the C-Band All-Sky Survey, C-BASS). The survey requirements call for very low cross-polar signal levels and far-out sidelobes. Two different existing antennas, with 6.1-m and 7.6-m diameter primaries, were adapted by replacing the feed and secondary optics, resulting in identical beam performances of 0.73\circ FWHM, cross-polarization better than - 50 dB, and far-out sidelobes below -70 dB. The polarization purity was realized by using a symmetric low-loss dielectric foam support structure for the secondary mirror, avoiding the need for secondary support struts. Ground spill-over was largely reduced by using absorbing baffles around the primary and secondary mirrors, and by the use of a low-sidelobe profiled corrugated feedhorn. The 6.1-m antenna and receiver have been completed and tested. Results show that the co-polar beam matches the design simulations very closely in the main beam and down to levels of - 80 dB in the backlobes. With the absorbing baffles in place the far-out (>100{\circ}) sidelobe response is reduced below -90 dB. Cross-polar response could only be measured down to a noise floor of - 20 dB but is also consistent with the design simulations. Temperature loading and groundspill due to the secondary support were measured at less than 1 K. © 1963-2012 IEEE.

Abstract:

Here we describe our work designing multiple flare-angle horns, optimised using a genetic algorithm. Several horns designs will be described and experimentally measured beam patterns for horns at 230 GHz will be presented. In addition, we will present new, wide bandwidth horns offering good performance over a ∼30% bandwidth. © 2013 IEEE.

Abstract:

Here we present the design and performance of a novel unilateral finline Nb-AlOx-Nb SIS (Superconductor-Insulator-Superconductor) mixer, operating around 230 GHz, with a target IF bandwidth of 2-13 GHz. The mixer is intended to be used in GUBBINS [1], a prototype high brightness sensitivity, low spatial resolution heterodyne interferometer. A key feature of the mixer design is the use of a unilateral finline taper to provide a smooth transition from high-impedance waveguide to low-impedance microstrip suitable for feeding a 1μm2 SIS junction. The use of a finline transmission line allows other complicated planar circuits to be compactly integrated on the substrate and allows the use of an easy-to-fabricate mixer block. Also the employment of the silicon substrate allows trenches to be fabricated around individual SIS mixer devices on the wafer, allowing the devices to be separated easily without dicing. To realise the wide IF bandwidth, a separate IF matching board, consisting of a few sections of microstrip, was designed to match the dynamic output impedance of SIS mixer to the LNA. In this paper, the SIS mixer design will be described in detail, including the electromagnetic simulations of the passive circuit with HFSS. We have fabricated and tested several of these SIS mixers over RF bandwidth 190-260 GHz. We have obtained a best noise temperature of 75 K at 208.8 GHz over IF bandwidth 4-6 GHz. However, the noise temperature measured across IF bandwidth 2-18 GHz shows that an IF resonance exists around 8 GHz, caused by an excess capacitance due to the large surface area of the microstrip transition and RF matching circuitry. An improved design is described, suitably modified to shift the IF resonance out of the target IF band.