instrumentation and technological developments at …

TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS AT IGN

INSTRUMENTATION AND TECHNOLOGICAL

DEVELOPMENTS AT THE IGN


Yebes Observatory is a Fundamental Geodetic Station where

Astronomical, Geodetic and Geophysical techniques are

combined.

• Yebes, Guadalajara, Spain

• 980 meters height


Yebes Observatory development areas:

• Radio astronomy

• Technological developments.

• VLBI & SD observations.

• Geodesy

• Differential GPS station.

• Permanent GNSS Station maintenance.

• Geophysics

• Collecting data from gravimeters.

• Gravimeters maintenance.


FACILITIES

• 14 meters radio telescope.

• 40 meters radio telescope.

• Gravimeters.

• Satellite laser ranging (SLR)


Laboratories 14m

Double AstrographSolar telescope

Guest houseVisitors Center

40m

Gravimetry


14 METERS RADIOTELESCOPE

•Inside radome

•Observations since 1976

•VLBI since 1990: SiO masers

•EVN member (1994) and JIVE (1993)

•Next participation in VSOP-2

• SINGLE DISH:

•Stellar formation

•SiO masers

•Galactic center

• VLBI:

•SiO masers

•CORE, EUROPE

OBSERVATIONS


VLBI Link system

H Maser

Data Storage

VLBI Data Downlink

Frequency 37-38 GHz

Bit Rate 1 Gbps

Modulation QPSK

TX-Power 20 W

High Gain Antenna

Diameter: 80cm

Data Storage

Capacity 4 TB / 8 hours

Phase Transfer Uplink

Frequency 40 GHz

No Modulation

TX-Power 10 W

Phase Comparison

Ground Link Station

Diameter >10m

Astro-G

SPACE VLBI : 14m AS A LINK STATION

VSOP-2


40m radio telescope

• Nasmyth-Cassegrain

• Diameter: 40m

• Subreflector: 3.28m

• Mount

• Alt-azimuth

• Turning head over bearing

• Operation: Primary & Nasmyth

• Aperture efficiency:

• 150 microns RMS

• 70% a 7mm

• 50% a 3mm

• Pointing:

• Requirements: 5” at 10m/s

• 1” servo system error


• Construction: 2000-2006

• Budget 12M€

• More than 20 companies: Engineering, Mechanics,

Electronic, Electricity, Civil works, …


• Weight : 500 tones

• Main dish: 420 high precision panels

< 65 microns.


Receiver cabin

• Large size

• Frequency band from 2 GHz to 120 GHz.


M4 branch

6 receivers 2.2 (S), 3.3 ,5-6 (C), 8.4 (X), 22 & 100 GHz

Double polarization LCP & RCP


Control room


• First light: June 2007

(The Moon at 22 GHz)

• First VLBI observation:

June 2008


• VLBI sessions

• Astronomical S/X, 22 GHz

• Geodetic S/X

• e-VLBI at C band (4-6 GHz)


Gravimetry laboratory


• Mechanical stability.• Seven isolated concrete pillars foundations.

• Thermal stability. • Two isolated rooms one inside the other.


Absolute gravimeter FG5Superconductive

gravimeter (in 2010)


Satellite Laser Ranging, SLR

The installation of a SLR station is one of

our new projects.

• It allows the measurement of

distances to satellites.

• It offers information of:

• ITRF (station coordinates,

movement vectors, geocenter

variations)

• Orbits determination

• EOP (xp, yp)


TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS

• Receivers

• Antennas

• Electronic components (LNA amplifiers, MMIC,

feed antennas, …)


Yebes Observatory has more than 500 square meters for

laboratories and a mechanical workshop for the development

of astronomical, geodetic, and geophysical instrumentation.


• The labs have RF instrumentation for microwave circuits

characterization covering the frequency band to 140 GHz.

• Among others, there are also laser prototyping and bonding

machines for the construction of these microwave and

millimeter circuits.


The workshop is equipped with

milling and laith machines for the

instrumentation construction. A CNC

machine for the LNA boxes

construction is also available.


ANTENNA DEVELOPMENTS

• Feed Design

• Phased-array

• Antenna measurement

• Holography


• The feeds installed at the 40

meter are designed at Yebes

Observatory.

• Commercial software,

GRASP, or home-made

software (QuasiOptica) are

used for system feed design.

• Commercial software like

CORRUG o HFSS is

employed for antenna design.


Feed Systems

CS

CH X

Dichroic


Antennas


Phased arrays

• IGN takes part in SKADS for the design of 1Km x 1Km

telescope array in the 0.1 to 20 GHz band.

• IGN contribution has been the development of a planar array

in the 0.3 to 1 GHz band.


Anechoic chamber for antenna measurement

• Frequency range: 2-140 GHz

• Feed and reflector measurements

• Cold optics measurement


Yebes has also experience in

the measurements for the

characterization of antenna

surface with holography

techniques. A dedicated

receiver system has been

developed including the

software for data acquisition.

IGN has also participated in

the ALMA antennas

characterization and in the

design of an holography

system for ESA.

12 GHz Holography

receiver for the 40 meters


First holography map with the 40 meter.


RECEIVER DEVELOPMENTS

• Microwave components design

• Cryogenics

• Radiofrequency

• Backends

• VLBI


S-band: 2.2 – 2.37 Trec: 50K VLBI

CH-band: 3.22 – 3.34 GHz Trec: 50K VLBI/SD

C-band: 4.56 – 5.06 GHz Trec: 50K VLBI/SD

5.9 – 6.9 GHz

X-band: 8.18 – 8.98 GHz Trec:10K VLBI

K-band: 21.75 – 22.85 GHz VLBI/SD

23.35 – 24.45 GHz Trec: 20K

W-band: 85 – 110 GHz SIS

Ku-band: 10.9 – 12.75 GHz Holography

All the receivers for the 40 meter radio telescope have been design

and built at Yebes facilities.


Microwave components design


Radioastronomical receivers are installed inside cryostats at 20K.


Lens corrected conical corrugated horn

Septum polarizer

Directional couplers

Low noise amplifiers, LNA’s

Mollecular siege

20 K stage

60 K stage

Cryogenic cable (steel)

RF vacuum transitions

Vacuum DC conectors

Heaters

Receiver cryostat

at 22 GHz


Receiver cryostat at S/C/CH


Radioastronomical receivers need further amplification and

mixing. These are the RF and IF racks.

Band C receiver


Band X receiver


The 100 GHz SIS receiver.


Ancho de banda Resolución Canales

1024 MHz 2 MHz 512

512 MHz 0,5 MHz 1024

256 MHz 125 KHz 2048

128 MHz 62,5 KHz 2048

The last receiver stage is the

digital backend. One of them is

the Yebes autocorrelator.


AMPLIFIER DESIGN

• LNA’s for IRAM

• LNA’s for ALMA

• LNA’s for the 40 metros

• LNA’s for the DSN

• LNA’s for satellites

• LNA’s new designs


YEBES RECENT PROJECTS

HERSCHEL (HIFI) →(2-4 GHz & 4-8 GHz)

IRAM →(1.2-1.8 GHz PB & 3.2-4.7 GHz PV changed to 4-8 GHz

& 4-12 GHz)

RT 40 m CAY → ( bands from 2.2 GHz to 26 GHz)

ALMA → (4-8 & 4-12 GHz)

(ESOC)

X-Band → (8.1-9.0 GHz)

Ka-Band → (25.5- 34 GHz)

EUROPEAN PROJECTS

FP6: AMSTAR (IFs for IRAM & SRON 4-12 GHz)

FF7: AMSTAR+ (IF integrated with mixer), APRICOT (33-50 GHz

multibeam receiver)

Aprox. 1000 cryogenic amplifiers supplied for different projects.


SKA differential amplifiers


IRAM

• Pico Veleta 30 meter radio telescope

• Plateau de Bure interferometer


IRAM is an international research institute for radio astronomy. Its overall

objective is to explore the universe and to study its origins and evolution.

IRAM was founded in 1979 by the French CNRS (Centre

National de la Recherche Scientifique), the German MPG (Max-

Planck-Gesellschaft) and the Spanish IGN (Instituto Geográfico

Nacional) - initially an associate member, becoming a full member

in 1990.

IRAM headquarters

in Grenoble, France


With a staff of more than 120 scientists, engineers, technicians and

administrative personnel, IRAM maintains and develops the

instrumentation for two observatories: the 30-meter telescope located on

Pico Veleta near Granada in Spain, and the Plateau de Bure interferometer

(an array of six 15-meter antennas) in the French Alps.

SIS LaboratorieNew PdB 4 bands receiver

IRAM PdB

correlator


Leader in the field of high frequency technologies, IRAM also develops

receiver systems for the ALMA project in the southern hemisphere.

ALMA Band 7 cartridge

2SSB mixer block

SIS Junction


The 30-meter telescope on Pico Veleta in the Spanish Sierra Nevada is one of

today’s largest and most sensitive radio telescopes for tracing millimeter waves.


The 30-meter telescope is equipped with

a series of single pixel receivers operating

at 3, 2, 1 and 0.8 millimeters and with

two cameras working at 1 millimeter:

HERA with 9 pixels and MAMBO, a

camera with 117 pixels.

30meter receiver cabin

30meter cable spiral room


The other observatory of IRAM, the Plateau de Bure interferometer, is the

most advanced facility existing today for millimeter radio astronomy.

Consists of six antennas, each 15 meters in diameter. Each antenna

is equipped with state-of-the-art high-sensitivity receivers.


The NOEMA project (Northern Extended Millimeter array) will

transform the PdB into a completely new and extremely powerful

facility, providing significant improvements in two key areas:

sensitivity and spatial resolution


Muito Obrigado !

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