Speaker
Description
Aalto University’s Metsähovi Radio Observatory in Kirkkonummi has been carrying out radio astronomical observations for 50 years. Its 14-meter telescope mainly operates at 37 GHz with a 1 GHz bandwidth, mostly in single-dish mode, but also supports VLBI observations at 22, 43, and 86 GHz. Metsähovi has recently ordered a new triple-band receiver from the Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie (MPIfR) in Germany, capable of simultaneous operation at K (18–26 GHz), Q (34–50 GHz), W1 (80–96 GHz), and W2 (100–116 GHz) bands. The new receiver features simultaneous multi-band observations, full polarization capability, cryogenic cooling, and a major instantaneous bandwidth expansion from 1 GHz to up to 8 GHz for K and 16 GHz to Q, W1 and W2 bands, significantly improving the telescope’s sensitivity.
This abstract presents the development of a new radio polarimeter backend as part of the 14-meter telescope upgrade. The upgrade aims to enhance observation capabilities by increasing bandwidth and sensitivity, with a key focus on implementing real-time polarimetric signal processing. The full bandwidth to be processed simultaneously is 224 GHz when accounting for the bandwidth of each band, two polarizations, and two beams on the sky. This requires a novel design for the backend. We are building this digital backend using a Radio Frequency System on Chip (RFSoC) platform. In this presentation, we will introduce the new backend design and its current status.