文章基本信息

标题：Performance of a Highly Sensitive, 19-element, Dual-polarization, Cryogenic L-band Phased-array Feed on the Green Bank Telescope
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作者：D. Anish Roshi ; W. Shillue ; B. Simon 等
期刊名称：The Astronomical journal
印刷版ISSN：0004-6256
电子版ISSN：1538-3881
出版年度：2018
卷号：155
期号：5
页码：1-18
DOI：10.3847/1538-3881/aab965
语种：English
出版社：American Institute of Physics
摘要：A new 1.4GHz, 19-element, dual-polarization, cryogenic phased-array feed (PAF) radio astronomy receiver has been developed for the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) as part of the Focal L-band Array for the GBT (FLAG) project. Commissioning observations of calibrator radio sources show that this receiver has the lowest reported beam-formed system temperature (Tsys) normalized by aperture efficiency (η) of any phased-array receiver to date. The measured Tsys/η is 25.4±2.5K near 1350MHz for the boresight beam, which is comparable to the performance of the current 1.4GHz cryogenic single-feed receiver on the GBT. The degradation in Tsys/η at ∼4′(required for Nyquist sampling) and ∼8′ offsets from the boresight is, respectively, ∼1% and ∼20% of the boresight value. The survey speed of the PAF with seven formed beams is larger by a factor between 2.1 and 7 compared to a single-beam system, depending on the observing application. The measured performance, both in frequency and offset from the boresight, qualitatively agrees with predictions from a rigorous electromagnetic model of the PAF. The astronomical utility of the receiver is demonstrated by observations of the pulsar B0329+54 and an extended H II region, the Rosette Nebula. The enhanced survey speed with the new PAF receiver will enable the GBT to carry out exciting new science, such as more efficient observations of diffuse, extended neutral hydrogen emission from galactic inflows and searches for fast radio bursts.
关键词：instrumentation: miscellaneous;intergalactic medium;ISM: individual objects (Rosette Nebula);large-scale structure of universe;pulsars: individual (B0329+54);techniques: imaging spectroscopy