R&D at Nançay for radio astronomy detectors and systems

S. Bosse; M.-L. Grima; G. Kenfack; C. Viou; P. Picard; J. Pezzani; P. Renaud; C. Taffoureau; L. Denis; A. Coffre; I. Thomas; S. Torchinsky; J.-M. Martin; E. Gérard; W. van Driel; A. Lecacheux; P. Colom; A. Kerdraon; R. Weber; P. Ravier; R. Feliachi

doi:10.1051/eas/0937015

Issue		EAS Publications Series Volume 37, 2009 Astrophysics Detector Workshop 2008


Page(s)		127 - 134
DOI		https://doi.org/10.1051/eas/0937015
Published online		11 June 2009

Astrophysics Detector Workshop 2008
P. Kern (ed)
EAS Publications Series, 37 (2009) 127-134

R&D at Nançay for radio astronomy detectors and systems

S. Bosse¹, M.-L. Grima¹, G. Kenfack¹, C. Viou¹, P. Picard¹, J. Pezzani¹, P. Renaud¹, C. Taffoureau¹, L. Denis¹, A. Coffre¹, I. Thomas¹, S. Torchinsky¹, J.-M. Martin², E. Gérard², W. van Driel², A. Lecacheux³, P. Colom³, A. Kerdraon³, R. Weber⁴, P. Ravier⁴ and R. Feliachi⁴

¹ Station de Radioastronomie, 18330 Nançay, France
² GEPI and Station de Radioastronomie, Observatoire de Paris, Place Jules Janssen, 92190 Meudon, France
³ LESIA and Station de Radioastronomie, Observatoire de Paris, Place Jules Janssen, 92190 Meudon, France
⁴ Institut PRISME, Université d'Orléans, 12 rue de Blois, BP. 6744, 45067 Orléans Cedex 2, France

Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

Nançay radio astronomy station teams are involved in several aspects of the Research and Development (R&D) for radio astronomy detectors and systems: i) Microelectronics: Low Noise Amplifiers (LNA), receiver on chip and system in package. The long-term goal is to provide sub-systems for the future Square Kilometer Array and its Pathfinders. A beamformer chip has been integrated in the FP6 SKADS dense aperture array technology demonstrator EMBRACE. Wide band SiGe LNAs are developed, beamformers with in-chip control are studied and more complex integrated receivers are designed for the european Aperture Array Verification Programme demonstrator. ii) Digital signal processing: EMBRACE beamforming has been implemented in the digital backend and RFI-mitigation oriented signal processing has been designed for realtime systems, including work for FP6 SKADS and FP7 PrepSKA. iii) A study of Phased Array Feeds has started in 2008, in order to study the radio electric properties of PAFs at the focus of large F/D telescopes, such as the Nançay Radio Telescope, as well as to test PAF systems in collaboration with the SPP/IRFU and LAL/IN2P3 laboratories.