Radio Telescope Focal Container for the Russian VLBI Network of New Generation

Alexander Ipatov, Vyacheslav Mardyshkin, Andrey Cherepanov, Vitaly Chernov, Dmitry Diky, Evgeny Khvostov, Alexander Yevstigneyev

IVS 2010 General Meeting Proceedings “VLBI2010: From Vision to Reality”, Dirk Behrend and Karen D. Baver (eds), 425–428 (2010)

Abstract

This article considers the development of the structure of receivers for Russian radio telescopes. The development of these radio telescopes is undertaken within the project for creating a Russian small-antenna-based radio interferometer of new generation. It is shown that for small antennas (10– 12 meter) the principal unit, which provides the best SNR, is the so-called focal container placed at primary focus. It includes the primary feed, HEMT LNA, and cryogenic cooling system down to 20◦ K. A new multi-band feed based on traveling wave resonators is used. It has small dimensions, low weight, and allows working with circular polarizations. Thus it can be placed into focal container and cooled with the LNA. A sketch of the focal container, with traveling-wave-resonator feed, and calculations of the expected parameters of the multi-band receiver are presented.