Calculated thermal behavior of ventilated high precision radio telescopes

Radio telescopes that operate at millimeter and sub-millimeter wavelengths need a reflector-surface precision of a few tens of microns and a pointing accuracy of a few arcseconds. When built in a conventional way from steel and aluminum, as in the case of larger-diameter telescopes, thermal control must be applied to reduce temperature-induced deformations, in particular of the reflector backup structure. We illustrate that it is possible to make model calculations - for instance, during the design phase - that simulate the thermal behavior and the operation of a telescope when servo-loop-controlled ventilation or climatization (air-conditioned ventilation) of the backup structure is applied. We explain the technique of model calculations, and present as an example the calculated thermal behavior of a ventilated 64-m-diameter telescope and of the climatized 30-m IRAM telescope. It is explained that the thermal control of a telescope mount is less demanding if frequent pointing corrections can be made.     

Radio telescopes

A radio telescope is used in radio astronomy to measure the intensity of the radiation received from various parts of the sky. Such a telescope must be able both to detect and to locate faint radio sources of small angular size, and also to measure the brightness distribution across extended radio sources or over large sky areas. Ideally the telescope should be capable of making such measurements over a wide frequency range and for different types of polarization of the incoming waves. The noise powers available in radio astronomy are very small, and some of the radio sources have angular sizes or angular structure of, perhaps, only one second of arc, so that a radio telescope needs both high gain and good resolving power. The paper describes various types of radio telescopes which have been built and tested, and outlines the astronomical needs which they fulfill. The parabolic reflector antenna is first described, with particular reference to the fully steerable 210-foot telescope at the Australian National Radio Astronomy Observatory and to the 300-foot transit telescope at the U. S. National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Of the telescopes which use fixed or partly fixed reflector surfaces, those at the University of Illinois, at the Nançay station of the Paris Observatory, and at the Arecibo Ionospheric Observatory in Puerto Rico are described in some detail. Instruments in which the resolution is improved without a corresponding increase of collecting area, such as the cross-type antennas, are briefly described. The future progress of radio telescope design is certain to follow the development of parabolic dishes to still greater sizes, and the exploitation of synthetic antenna systems; the article concludes with a survey of both developments.     

Upgrading the Haystack radio telescope for operation at 115 GHz

The Haystack 37-m radio telescope has been upgraded for operation at frequencies up to 115 GHz. A unique deformable subreflector with active actuator control has been developed to correct for gravitational distortion effects including astigmatism and deflections associated with the particular reflector surface. Active thermal compensation of the surface has also been implemented to conduct for both thermal lag effects and circularly symmetric gravitational deviations. Holographic mapping of the antenna surface deviations was achieved using 12-GHz geostationary satellite transmissions, which required the use of special techniques to correct for diffraction and multiple reflection effects involving the space-frame radome that covers the antenna. Realignment of the antenna surface utilized a finite-element structural model to translate surface deviations to motions of the unusual adjustment mechanisms on the antenna. The currently measured rms surface deviation (Dec. 23, 1992) is 210 μm. The telescope has been equipped with a two-channel cryogenically cooled 3-mm SIS receiver, covering the range from 84 to 115 GHz. A new flexible digital spectrometer has been constructed for spectral line astronomy. Configurations can range from a widest bandwidth coverage of 160 MHz at 512 lags to 0.66 MHz at 4096 lags. Examples are given of surface holographic maps and radio measurements of aperture efficiency, pointing, and other performance parameters     

射电望远镜天线的指向精度测量系统设计

指向精度是衡量大口径射电望远镜天线电轴指向准确度的重要指标,如何准确地测量出天线的指向精度对使用者而言尤为重要。针对射电天文望远镜的工作特点,提出了采用射电星作为发射源进行天线指向精度测量的方法,以方位轴为例介绍了测量基本原理,根据测量需要对系统软硬件进行了设计,对实际测量和处理过程进行了描述,给出了测量结果和分析。结果表明该方法可以快捷、准确地测出天线在全天区的指向精度。     

Design and implementation of an error-compensating subreflector forthe NRAO 12-m radio telescope

Describes the measurement of the surface shape of the primary reflector of the NRAO 12-m radio telescope and the use of the measurements to machine the shape of a secondary mirror to compensate for the primary reflector errors. The method known as holography was used with the 38.04-GHz transmitter on the geosynchronous Lincoln Experimental Satellite to map the main reflector. The machining of the secondary compensated for the errors in the primary shape, and as a result, at 345 GHz, the axial gain of the instrument was increased by about 50% and the antenna pattern correspondingly improved     

Reduction of ground spillover in the Owens Valley 5.5-m telescope

The 5.5-m telescope of the Owens Valley Radio Observatory is used for highly sensitive measurements of the cosmic microwave background radiation, which are easily contaminated by ground spillover. The authors describe the modifications made to the secondary mirror support structure that reduced the total ground pickup of the antenna from 27 to 9 K and decreased the peak differential ground pickup for the observing technique from 43 mK to 140 μK. This was achieved by reducing the physical obstruction, arranging the support leg angles to minimize direct reflections, and installing radiation baffles to control the direction of the reflection or scatter lobes     

Surface accuracy measurement of a deployable mesh reflector byplanar near-field scanning

Using a near-field antenna measurement facility, it is possible to simultaneously evaluate the surface accuracy of a reflector antenna as well as the far-field pattern of the antenna for a short time. The surface errors of a 2-m deployable mesh reflector for satellite use were measured by a planar near-field system. As a result, the influence of periodic structures, due to the antenna ribs, is clearly observed. Also, the surface accuracy obtained with the near field scanning technique coincides well with that obtained by an optical measurement technique     

Hologram-based compact range for submillimeter-wave antenna testing

A hologram-based compact antenna test range (CATR) is being developed to overcome challenges met in antenna testing at submillimeter wavelengths. For the first time, this type of CATR has been built for testing of a large reflector antenna at submillimeter wavelengths. The CATR is based on a 3-m computer-generated hologram as the focusing element. This paper discusses the design and the construction of the CATR, and the verification of the CATR operation with quiet-zone tests done for the CATR prior to the antenna testing. Assembly of the CATR, testing of the 1.5-m reflector antenna at 322 GHz, and the disassembly were all done within two months in 2003. The quiet-zone field measurement results are analyzed in this paper. The CATR was concluded to be qualified for antenna testing. The antenna testing is described in a separate paper.     

Subreflectarrays for Reflector Surface Distortion Compensation

With the increasing interest in the applications of large deployable reflector antennas operating at high frequencies, the requirement on the reflector surface accuracy becomes more demanding. Thermal effects inevitably cause certain reflector surface distortions, thus degrading the overall antenna performance. This paper introduces a novel reflector surface distortion compensation technique using a subreflectarray and presents detailed discussions. A microstrip reflectarray is used as a subreflector, illuminated by a primary feed. By properly adjusting the additional phase shift provided by the subreflectarray, the aperture phase errors caused by the main reflector surface distortions are compensated, resulting in a considerably improved antenna performance. As an example, a distorted 20-m offset parabolic reflector antenna operating at X-band is successfully compensated by a subreflectarray, and the simulation results are compared with those obtained by array feed and shaped subreflector compensation techniques. The microstrip subreflectarray is low-profile, lightweight, and cost-effective. Only one primary feed is required, and a reconfigurable design can be achieved if electronically reconfigurable reflectarray elements are adopted.      

考虑馈源位置误差的面天线机电耦合优化设计

 针对面天线结构设计中存在的机电分离以及忽视馈源位置误差的问题,从机械电磁两场耦合的角度,将反射面天线主面误差和馈源位置误差统一到天线方向图的远场计算公式中,从而可以研究包含馈源支撑结构在内的天线结构参数对主要电性能（包括增益、副瓣、波瓣宽度、指向精度等）的影响。利用该公式建立了包含馈源支撑结构参数的天线整体机电耦合优化模型,通过某8米天线的仿真对比表明了该耦合优化模型的优点,最后将该优化模型应用于某40米大型反射面天线,取得了满意的效果。     

天马望远镜结构重力变形对面形和指向精度影响

以天马望远镜（简称TM65m）为研究对象,采用仿真与实验相结合的方法,对结构重力作用下主面面形精度和天线指向精度的变化进行了研究.借助有限元软件分析不同俯仰角下结构重力变形,得到主面相应的促动器调整量,将其加载到主动面系统中,经调整后天线效率在俯仰角35°和71°提高了20%.主面重力变形修正后,其顶点位置发生变化,将计算结果转化到指向模型中,得俯仰角由5°旋转到90°指向发生了0.037 99°的变化,与实际指向模型重力误差修正项系数的误差为4%.同时,发现天线俯仰及以上部分结构自重在不同俯仰角下引起俯仰轴弯曲变形,有限元分析得最大挠度为3.2 mm,挠度变化趋势与倾斜仪测量结果一致性较好,由此导致的俯仰指向变化达0.012 14°.因此,合理的结构设计对提高天线精度非常重要.     

Upgrade of a large millimeter-wavelength radio telescope forimproved performance at 115 GHz

A 20.1-m-diameter radome enclosed radio telescope, built by Electronic Space Systems Corporation (ESSCO) at the Onsala Space Observatory (OSO) near Gothenberg, Sweden, in 1975, was upgraded by ESSCO in 1992 for improved operation at 115 GHz, increasing the system aperture efficiency from 20% to 40% at this higher frequency. Electrical gain measurements confirm geometric optics predictions of efficiency and improved antenna patterns. The upgrade included replacement of the two inner reflector panel rows with 31-μm panels, stiffening the reflector backstructure based on finite-element structural analysis for a measured rms gravity deformation of 59 μm in the 25° to 70° elevation range, and optical alignment of the reflector surface to 58 μm rms accuracy. This alignment accuracy of approximately 1/345000 of the reflector diameter was accomplished with an electronic angle-measuring theodolite and digital radial strap gauges. Data were downloaded in real time to an on-line portable computer performing surface metrology calculations. Graphical data are presented that compare computer predictions of reflector backstructure gravity deformations to optical measurements, which proved crucial in achieving the stringent alignment accuracies. Measured antenna efficiency data before and after the upgrade are included     

Numerical beam alignment procedure for planar near-field phaseretrieval

The authors demonstrate mathematically that the direction of an antenna beam (antenna pointing) can be determined by the centre-of-gravity of its beam intensity. The technique is validated using measurements on a 1.118 m 94 GHz Cassegrain reflector and is seen as pivotal in the future application of the phase retrieval technique for near-field/far-field prediction     

大型射电望远镜反射面主动调整系统设计

详细介绍了一种大型射电望远镜在高频段调整各块天线面板的反射面主动调整系统的设计。采用总线的分布式控制,通过主控制计算机与促动器微控制器的联机的方式,实现用户对反射面主动调整系统促动器的控制,同时取得促动器的相关状态信息,减小了反射面由于重力变形、温度差异、风力引起的曲线误差,从而获得高精度的天线曲面,提高天线反射面的效率。促动器采用集成化的步进电机驱动,把微控制器、驱动器、编码器、数据寄存器等元器件内置于电机内,融电机和驱动技术于一体,节约了安装空间,简化了繁琐的布线。     

65m射电望远镜天线结构指向精度分析与设计

针对国内口径最大、精度最高的65 m射电望远镜天线,分析计算了其结构指向精度。介绍了轨道组合、枢轴组合和测角装置等关键部件的精度设计过程和结构误差,以及其他重力和环境因素引起的误差。通过结果分析、现场实测和长期工作,证明了天线结构设计指向精度的均方根误差达到11.8″,去掉系统误差,天线指向精度的均方根误差有望达到2″的精度。     

G/T maximization of a paraboloidal reflector fed by a dipole-diskantenna with ring by using the multiple-reflection approach and themoment method

A 1.8-m paraboloidal reflector fed by a dipole-disk antenna with a beamforming ring is optimized for high G/T at L-band by using the moment method (MM) and the multiple reflection (MR) approach. The MR approach is based on using MM to calculate the radiation and scattering patterns of the feed, using physical optics plus uniform geometrical theory of diffraction (UTD) to include the reflector, and in addition to include the mutual interaction (multiple reflections) between the reflector and the feed by using the expression for the sum of an infinite geometric series. The MR approach is shown to be equally accurate as a MM solution of the complete antenna with reflector, provided the reflector is in the far field of the feed, and the MR approach is much faster. As a result of the calculations using the MR approach, design curves are presented showing how the G/T varies as a function of antenna geometry, size, and elevation angle, all for a given noise profile of the surrounding sky and ground. The computed radiation patterns and G/Ts are compared with measurements for several elevation angles and surrounding terrain     

A 45-m telescope with a surface accuracy of 65 μm

The Nobeyama 45-m telescope has been upgraded for higher frequency and higher sensitivity observations. The surface accuracy of the antenna was improved from 0.2 mm rms to 65 μm rms using a radio holography method at the prime focus. Pointing accuracy was also improved by replacing a large Gregorian subreflector cabin with a smaller cassegrain subreflector in 1985 to reduce wind loading effects, and by installation of a new master collimator with multi-pole resolvers which were calibrated to an accuracy of 0.4 arcsec rms in 1988. Four SIS receivers using Nb/AlO_x/Nb array junctions are now available on the telescope for 40, 80, 100, and 150-GHz bands. These receivers achieved quite low noise and wide-band tunability. The 2×2 multi-beam receiver for 115 GHz is very powerful for mapping observations. These improvements of telescope performance and these receivers have significantly increased the astronomical observation capability of the telescope in the wide frequency range of 40 to 150 GHz