Receiver systems utilising planar technologies are prevalent in telescopes observing at radio to sub-millimetre wavelengths. Receiver components using planar technologies are generally smaller, have reduced mass and are cheaper to manufacture than waveguide-based alternatives. Given that modern-day detectors are capable of reaching the fundamental photon noise limit, increases in the sensitivity of telescopes are frequently attained by increasing the total number of detectors in the receivers. The development of components utilising planar technologies facilitates the demand for large numbers of detectors, whilst minimising the size, mass and manufacturing cost of the receiver. After a review and study of existing concepts in radio to sub-mm telescopes and their receivers, this thesis develops planar components that couple the radiation from the telescope's optics onto the focal plane. Two components are developed; a W- band (75-110 GHz) planar antenna-coupled flat mesh lens designed for the receiver of a Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) B-mode experiment, and an L-band (1- 2 GHz) horn-coupled planar orthomode transducer designed for the receiver of the FAST telescope. The first developments of a planar antenna-coupled flat mesh lens are presented. The design is driven by the requirement to mitigate beam systematics to prevent pollution of the CMB B-mode signal. In the first instance, a waveguide-coupled mesh lens is characterised. The radiation patterns of the waveguide-coupled mesh lens have -3 dB beam widths between 26 and 19 degrees, beam ellipticity <10%, and cross-polarisation.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:719352 |
| Date | January 2017 |
| Creators | Robinson, Matthew |
| Publisher | University of Manchester |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/development-of-planar-technology-for-focal-planes-of-future-radio-to-submillimetre-astronomical-instruments(dd2876aa-ff1a-4ae7-903f-a8228f3fc85f).html |
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