A Novel Two-dimensional Low-redundancy Array Design for Solar Radio Imaging

The radioheliograph is an extensive array of antennas operating on the principle of aperture synthesis to produce images of the Sun.The image acquired by the telescope results from convoluting the Sun’s true brightness distribution with the antenna array’s directional pattern.The imaging quality of the radioheliograph is affected by a multitude of factors,with the performance of the“dirty beam”being simply one component.Other factors such as imaging methods,calibration techniques,clean algorithms,and more also play a significant influence on the resulting image quality.As the layout of the antenna array directly affects the performance of the dirty beam,the design of an appropriate antenna configuration is critical to improving the imaging quality of the radioheliograph.Based on the actual needs of observing the Sun,this work optimized the antenna array design and proposed a twodimensional low-redundancy array.The proposed array was compared with common T-shaped arrays,Y-shaped arrays,uniformly spaced circular arrays,and three-arm spiral arrays.Through simulations and experiments,their performance in terms of sampling point numbers,UV coverage area,beam-half width,sidelobe level,and performance in the absence of antennas are compared and analyzed.It was found that each of these arrays has its advantages,but the two-dimensional low-redundancy array proposed in this paper performs best in overall evaluation.It has the shortest imaging calculation time among the array types and is highly robust when antennas are missing,making it the most suitable choice.

An improved non-uniform fast Fourier transform method for radio imaging of coronal mass ejections

Radioheliographs can obtain solar images at high temporal and spatial resolution,with a high dynamic range.These are among the most important instruments for studying solar radio bursts,understanding solar eruption events,and conducting space weather forecasting.This study aims to explore the effective use of radioheliographs for solar observations,specifically for imaging coronal mass ejections(CME),to track their evolution and provide space weather warnings.We have developed an imaging simulation program based on the principle of aperture synthesis imaging,covering the entire data processing flow from antenna configuration to dirty map generation.For grid processing,we propose an improved non-uniform fast Fourier transform(NUFFT)method to provide superior image quality.Using simulated imaging of radio coronal mass ejections,we provide practical recommendations for the performance of radioheliographs.This study provides important support for the validation and calibration of radioheliograph data processing,and is expected to profoundly enhance our understanding of solar activities.

A broadband digital receiving system with large dynamic range for solar radio observation

Solar radio spectra and their temporal evolution provide important clues to understand the energy release and electron acceleration process in the corona,and are commonly used to diagnose critical parameters such as the magnetic field strength.However,previous solar radio telescopes cannot provide high-quality data with complete frequency coverage.Aiming to develop a generalized solar radio observing system,in this study,we designed a digital receiving system that could capture solar radio bursts with a broad bandwidth and a large dynamic range.A dual-channel analog-to-digital converter(ADC)printed circuit board assembly(PCBA)with a sampling rate of 14-bit,1.25 Giga samples per second(GSPS)cooperates with the field-programmable-gate-array(FPGA)chip XC7K410T in the design.This receiver could realize the real-time acquisition and preprocessing of high-speed data of up to 5 GB s^(-1),which ensures high time and spectral resolutions in observations.This receiver has been used in the solar radio spectrometer working in the frequency range of 35 to 40 GHz in Chashan Solar Observatory(CSO)established by Shandong University,and will be further developed and used in the solar radio interferometers.The full-power bandwidth of the PCBA in this receiving system could reach up to 1.5 GHz,and the performance parameters(DC–1.5 GHz)are obtained as follows:spur free dynamic range(SFDR)of 64.7–78.4 dB,signal-to-noise and distortion(SINAD)of 49.1–57.2 dB,and effective number of bits(ENOB)of>7.86 bit.Based on the receiver that we designed,real-time solar microwave dynamic spectra have been acquired and more solar microwave bursts with fine spectral structures are hopeful to be detected in the coming solar maximum.

A 3 Giga Sample Per Second 14-bit Digital Receiver with 9 GHz Input Bandwidth for Solar Radio Observation

A new digital receiver with excellent performances has been designed and developed for solar radio observation,which can receive the radio signal from direct current(DC)to 9 GHz in the direct acquisition way.On the digital receiver,the analog-to-digital converter(ADC)with 14-bit,two input channels and 3 Giga Samples per second(Gsps)are used to acquire observed signal,and the field-programmable-gate-array chip XCKU115 acts as the processing module.The new digital receiver can be used to directly sample the solar radio signals of frequency under 9 GHz.When receiving the solar radio signal above 9 GHz,the new digital receiver can save 1–2 stages of frequency down-conversion,and effectively improve many indexes of the solar radio observation system,i.e.,the time resolution,analog front-end circuit,weight and volume of the analog circuit system.Compared with the digital receiver with sampling rate below 1 Gsps used in existing solar radio telescope,the new digital receiver reduces the frequency switching times of large bandwidth,which is beneficial to improving the frequency and time resolutions.The ADC sampling resolution of 14 bits,providing a large dynamic range,is very beneficial to observing smaller solar eruptions.This receiver,which would be used in the solar radio observation system,well meets the latest requirements with the resolutions of time(≤1 ms)and frequency(≤0.5 MHz)for fine observation of radio signals.

Friction compensation for an m-Level telescope based on high-precision LuGre parameters identification

Friction torque severely weakens the tracking accuracy and low-speed stability of an m-level TCS(telescope control system).To solve this problem,a friction compensation method is proposed,based on high-precision LuGre friction model parameters identification.Together with dynamometer calibration,we first design a DOB(disturbance observer)to acquire high-accuracy TCS friction value in real time.Then,the PSO-GA(a hybrid algorithm combined particle swarm optimization algorithm and genetic algorithm)optimization algorithm proposed effectively and efficiently realizes the LuGre model parameters identification.In addition,we design a TCS controller including DOB and LuGre model parameters identification based on double-loop PID controller for practical application.Engineering verification tests indicate that the accuracy of DOB calibrated can reach 96.94%of the real measured friction.When azimuth axis operates in the speed cross-zero work mode,the average positive peak to tracking error reduces from 0.8926"to 0.2252"and the absolute average negative peak to tracking error reduces from 0.8881"to 0.3984".Moreover,the azimuth axis tracking MSE reduces from 0.1155"to 0.0737",which decreases by 36.2%.Experimental results validate the high precision,facile portability and high real-time ability of our approach.