A Study of the Fitting Accuracy of the Active Reflector for a Large Spherical Radio Telescope

We propose a spatial three-degree-of-freedom (DOF) parallel mechanism combining two degrees of rotations and one degree of translation to support the active reflector units of a large spherical radio telescope. The kinematics, workspace and accuracy of the mechanism are analyzed. One-dimensional and two-dimensional fitting errors to the working region of active reflector are investigated. Dimensional parameters of the mechanism and active reflector unit are examined with respect to the requirement of fitting accuracy. The result of accuracy analysis shows the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed mechanism, and gives a design rule to guarantee the highest working frequency required by large radio telescope.

Active sub-reflector research for a large radio telescope

This paper proposes an active sub-reflector suitable for large radio telescopes,which can compensate both of the deformation of the main reflector and sub-reflector position offsets.The mathematical formula of the main reflector deformation compensated by the sub-reflector is deduced based on Cassegrain and Gregory antenna structures.The position of the sub-reflector is adjustable to compensate for defocusing errors on high and low elevations,which are mainly caused by the deformation of the sub-reflector supporting legs.In this paper,the method of obtaining the optimum position of the sub-reflector from the aperture phase by the interferometric method is introduced.The actual measurement is verified on the Tianma 65 m radio telescope,which provides a new way to diagnose the position error of the sub-reflector.

The Science of Radio Astronomy: An Investigation of Crab Nebula

The science of radio astronomy focuses on the observation and study of celestial objects by reading their radio waves. The 5 meter radio-telescope is able to observe different radio sources using a C-band LNB. This research was essentially focused on Crab Nebula, also known as Taurus A. The study led to interesting observations, which were validated numerically using various scientific computing software. The radio waves emitted by Taurus A are readable by the RTL-SDR, a software defined radio receiver. This device is capable of reading radio frequencies in the range of 0.5 MHZ to 1700 MHZ.

The Tianma 65 m radio telescope antenna

The Tianma 65 m radio telescope(TMRT)at Shanghai is a fully steerable single-dish radio telescope in China,operating at centimeter to millimeter wavelengths(1.25 GHz to 50 GHz).This paper presents details on the main specifications,design,performance analysis,testing,and construction of the telescope antenna.The measured total efficiency is better than 50%over the whole elevation angle range,first sidelobe levels are less than−20 dB,antenna system noise temperatures are less than 70 K at 30°elevation angle,and pointing accuracy is less than 3″.The measured and calculated results are in good agreement,verifying the effectiveness of the design and analysis.

A study of the strong pulses detected from PSR B0656+14 using the Urumqi 25-m radio telescope at 1540 MHz

We report on the properties of strong pulses from PSR B0656＋14 by analyzing the data obtained using the Urumqi 25-m radio telescope at 1540 MHz from August 2007 to September 2010.In 44 h of observational data,a total of 67 pulses with signal-to-noise ratios above a 5σthreshold were detected.The peak flux densities of these pulses are 58 to 194 times that of the average profile,and their pulse energies are 3 to 68 times that of the average pulse.These pulses are clustered around phases about 5-ahead of the peak of the average profile.Compared with the width of the average profile,they are relatively narrow,with the full widths at half-maximum ranging from 0.28 ° to 1.78 °.The distribution of pulse-energies follows a lognormal distribution.These sporadic strong pulses detected from PSR B0656＋14 have different characteristics from both typical giant pulses and its regular pulses.

The Qitai radio telescope

This study presents a general outline of the Qitai radio telescope(QTT)project.Qitai,the site of the telescope,is a county of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China,located in the east Tianshan Mountains at an elevation of about 1800 m.The QTT is a fully steerable,Gregorian-type telescope with a standard parabolic main reflector of 110 m diameter.The QTT has adopted an umbrella support,homology-symmetric lightweight design.The main reflector is active so that the deformation caused by gravity can be corrected.The structural design aims to ultimately allow high-sensitivity observations from 150 MHz up to115 GHz.To satisfy the requirements for early scientific goals,the QTTwill be equipped with ultra-wideband receivers and large field-of-view multi-beam receivers.A multi-function signal-processing system based on RFSo C and GPU processor chips will be developed.These will enable the QTT to operate in pulsar,spectral line,continuum and Very Long Baseline Interferometer(VLBI)observing modes.Electromagnetic compatibility(EMC)and radio frequency interference(RFI)control techniques are adopted throughout the system design.The QTT will form a world-class observational platform for the detection of lowfrequency(nano Hertz)gravitational waves through pulsar timing array(PTA)techniques,pulsar surveys,the discovery of binary black-hole systems,and exploring dark matter and the origin of life in the universe.The QTT will also play an important role in improving the Chinese and international VLBI networks,allowing high-sensitivity and high-resolution observations of the nuclei of distant galaxies and gravitational lensing systems.Deep astrometric observations will also contribute to improving the accuracy of the celestial reference frame.Potentially,the QTT will be able to support future space activities such as planetary exploration in the solar system and to contribute to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

Five hundred meter aperture spherical radio telescope (FAST)

Five hundred meter aperture spherical radio telescope (FAST) will be the largest radio telescope in the world. The innovative engineering concept and design pave a new road to realizing a huge single dish in the most effective way. Three outstanding features of the telescope are the unique karst depressions as the sites, the active main reflector which corrects spherical aberration on the ground to achieve full polarization and a wide band without involving a complex feed system, and the light focus cabin driven by cables and servomechanism plus a parallel robot as secondary adjustable system to carry the most precise parts of the receivers. Being the most sensitive radio telescope, FAST will enable astronomers to jumpstart many of the science goals, for example, the neutral hydrogen line surveying in distant galaxies out to very large redshifts, looking for the first shining star, detecting thousands of new pulsars, etc. Extremely interesting and exotic objects may yet await discovery by FAST. As a multi-science platform, the telescope will provide treasures to astronomers, as well as bring prosperity to other research, e.g. space weather study, deep space exploration and national security. The construction of FAST itself is expected to promote the development in high technology of relevant fields.

Upgrade Procedure for the Delingha 13.7-m Telescope

The 13.7-m millimeter-wave radio telescope of Purple Mountain Observatory operates at 3200-m above the sea level near Delingha, Qinghai Province, China. Equipped with a superconducting SIS receiver, the telescope is used in the millimeter-wave band ranging from 85 to 115 GHz. An upgrade procedure is reported here which includes a superconducting SIS receiver, a new phase-locked local oscillator, a dedicated multi-line backend system, and a new control system based on industrial computer with PCI bus. With the dedicated multi-line backend system, the CO and isotopic lines around 110 GHz are obtained simultaneously. In recent years, scientific activities with this telescope have been focused on studies of Galactic molecular clouds and star formation regions, including surveys of molecular lines from IRAS sources and large-scale map of molecular clouds. Other programs include studies of the circumstellar envelope of late-type stars and interaction of Galactic supernova remnants with dense molecular gas.

EMC design for actuators in the FAST reflector

An active reflector is one of the three main innovations incorporated in the Five-hundredmeter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope（FAST）.The deformation of such a huge spherically shaped reflector into different transient parabolic shapes is achieved by using 2225 hydraulic actuators which change the position of the 2225 nodes through the connected down tied cables.For each different tracking process of the telescope,more than 1/3 of these 2225 actuators must be in operation to tune the parabolic aperture accurately and meet the surface error restriction.This means that some of these actuators are inevitably located within the main beam of the receiver,and Electromagnetic Interference（EMI）from the actuators must be mitigated to ensure the scientific output of the telescope.Based on the threshold level of interference detrimental to radio astronomy described in ITU-R Recommendation RA.769 and EMI measurements,the shielding efficiency（SE）requirement for each actuator is set to be 80 d B in the frequency range from 70 MHz to 3 GHz.Therefore,Electromagnetic Compatibility（EMC）was taken into account in the actuator design by measures such as power line filters,optical fibers,shielding enclosures and other structural measures.In 2015,all the actuators had been installed at the FAST site.Till now,no apparent EMI from the actuators has been detected by the receiver,which demonstrates the effectiveness of these EMC measures.

Schemes for Segmenting the Main Reflector of the FAST

Acting as a pilot of the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), a Five hundred meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) project puts forward many innovative ideas, among which the design of the active main reflector shows fascinating potential. The main spherical reflector is to be composed of thousands of small spherical panels, which can be adjusted to fit a paraboloid of revolution in real time. For the construction and performance, the rms of the fit must be optimized, and so appropriate dimensional limits for the panels need to be determined. The issue of how to divide the spherical reflector mathematically is addressed in this paper. The advantages and drawbacks of various segmenting methods are discussed and an optimum one is suggested.

多波束有源相控阵VLBI射电观测系统设计及关键问题研究

多波束有源相控阵系统具有波束指向灵活、可同时多波束的特点,在射电甚长基线干涉测量(VLBI)中极具应用前景.首先根据多波束有源相控阵射电观测系统的特点及优势,对系统设计中的频率选择、极化方式、多波束设计、系统等效流量密度等进行了论述.然后针对多波束有源相控阵射电观测系统存在的特殊问题,对系统的关键技术问题进行分析,提出了低成本数字多波束接收和超大规模相控阵天线高精度校准等方法.该研究结果为多波束有源相控阵射电观测系统实现及应用提供了有益参考.

大型射电望远镜日照热误差及其补偿的仿真研究

射电望远镜广泛应用于射电天文、测控导航等领域,随着其工作频率的升高、口径的增大,日照引起的结构热变形对其性能的影响愈发严重;本文针对待建的新疆110 m口径射电望远镜,建立了其日照热力耦合模型,分析了天线在不同时刻、风速及姿态下的温度、变形情况,总结了结构日照温度场、变形场的时空分布特征,最后采用最佳吻合抛物面方法对反射面精度进行了评价,并通过副反射面位置补偿量的变化趋势揭示了天线热变形的共性规律及机理。结果表明:对于日照引起的天线热变形误差,风速越大,结构温度分布越均匀,其越接近等温膨胀变形,反射面形状精度越高;温差引起的结构不均匀变形是反射面精度下降的主要原因,温差越大结构的不均匀变形越大,反射面的形状精度越低;同一姿态不同风速下反射面热误差空间分布具有相似性,该分布与太阳直射点位置直接相关,且会跟随直射点位置发生变化,但由于日照强度、风速等因素的不同,其变形幅度不同。各种姿态下反射面精度变化规律相似,与风速的相关性均为反射面精度随风速上升而提高;采用副反射面位置补偿技术可明显缓解日照热误差影响。本文的分析方法与结论对大口径全可动射电望远镜的设计建造及其热误差控制具有一定参考价值。

天文源跟踪和数据文件生成——以太阳射电流强时域变化实验为例

本文是专题“面向天文、物理和多个工科专业的射电望远镜实验平台”上篇,内容包括望远镜基本参数和实验设计,以及天文源跟踪、数据文件生成两个实现望远镜天文观测功能的选做实验。太阳是距离我们最近的较强天文射电源,本文基于实例介绍了太阳射电流强时域变化实验。

New developments of MSRT's working modes:One-dimen-sional radio heliograph and IPS telescope

This note introduces the newly developed working modes, i.e. one-dimensional meter-wave radio heliograph (MRH) and interplanetary scintillation (IPS) telescope, of meter-wave aperture synthesis radio telescope (MSRT) at Beijing Astronomical Observatory (BAO). The note describes briefly the scientific objectives, configurations of the hardware and software, and functions of the system. It presents the examples of observations on solar meter-wave bursts and IPS with the two new working modes. The results indicated that new modes not only can provide the information on the evolution of solar activities with space and time, but also can trace and monitor the propagation and spatial distribution of interplanetary plasma shock resulting from solar activities and the instability of the ionosphere, etc. Both modes are new facilities that could fill the gaps in scientific frontiers.

大型天线表面精度实时检测

介绍一种大型天线表面精度实时检测仪 ,它可以检测出天线表面形变的位置和大小 ,通过实时调整天线面板 ,从而大大改善大型反射面天线的系统性能。在 2 2 GHz频段 ,使用强水脉泽源 Orion,对紫金山天文台的 1 3.7m毫米波望远镜进行了实测 ,检测结果与经典的经纬仪带尺方法测量所得的结果基本相符 ,测试精度约为 0 .1 6mm。

FAST工程建设进展

"十一五"国家重大科技基础设施建设项目—500 m口径球面射电望远镜(FAST)工程,是利用贵州天然喀斯特洼地作为望远镜台址,建造世界第一大单口径射电望远镜—500 m口径主动反射球面射电望远镜,以实现大天区面积、高精度的天文观测.FAST工程由中国科学院和贵州省人民政府联合共建,于2016年9月25日竣工.

65m射电望远镜面板精密成形原理与应用

针对上海天文台65m射电望远镜主动反射面面板的工作特点及大面积、高精度面板的制造难题,提出基于"包络模具、蒙皮开缝、应力释放、真空负压"原理的面板精密成形技术.利用非线性有限元方法对成形过程进行数值模拟;分析得到型面曲率、蒙皮相对开缝长度及背筋高度等参数对成形精度的影响规律;优化了面板结构和成形工艺参数.最终研制的面板精度优于100μm,该技术已成功应用于上海65m射电望远镜,可以为其他反射面天线的研制提供参考.

FAST望远镜主动反射面促动机构运动学研究

针对现有的FAST(Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope)主动反射面调整运动机构和促动器试验方案的不足,提出一种新型机构,能够有效地解决反射面边缘单元侧滑问题,并提高整个系统机械效率、可靠性,降低制造成本和运行维护费用.改进的核心是利用Sarrus机构产生理想的直线运动而没有任何侧滑.通过运动学分析证实了模型样机的可行性,静力分析表明这个系统具有足够的强度和刚度.模型的运行试验和仿真证明,即使在基座倾斜45°的条件下这种新型促动器机构能够可靠地防止反射面单元侧滑.这种改进为实际系统的设计和研制提供了至关重要的理论依据和试验数据.

500m口径球面射电望远镜瞬时抛物面拟合精度的预估与改善

依据500m口径球面射电望远镜(FAST)主动反射面工作原理及相关结构尺寸,基于反射面单元动态面形精度分析研究了FAST瞬时抛物面的拟合精度。首先,以反射面单元为研究对象,自节点开始推导考虑了机构运动的反射面单元动态面形精度计算方法。然后,提取不同区域19块反射面单元的各自9种初始面形工况,给出了分析算例。最后,基于单元动态精度特性,提出瞬时抛物面机械本体拟合精度及考虑馈源照明函数的半光程差拟合精度预估方法,并给出2种改善措施,即扩大可控区至300m抛物面外一层节点靶标,及抛物面周圈节点靶标向球心、中心反向各自偏移4mm。结果表明:反射面单元初始面形应优选面形精度RMS为2mm的波浪式面板。改进控制策略后机械本体拟合精度提高至RMS为3.938mm,优于RMS为5mm的设计指标,此时半光程差拟合精度RMS为0.629mm。该项研究对确定反射面单元初始面形及调节瞬时抛物面拟合精度很有意义。

球面射电望远镜主动反射面支撑机构运动学分析

针对主动反射面支撑机构的要求,提出一种能够实现一个方向移动和两个方向转动的空间3自由度并联机构。研究了机构的运动学建模方法,构造出运动学的逆解方程和速度传递方程,给出了运动学正解的数值求取方法。系统分析了机构三类奇异位形,以及机构的位置空间和姿态空间。分析结果表明该机构适用于射电望远镜主动反射面支撑机构。研究也为此类机构的尺度设计,路径规划和控制提供了理论依据。