Daily Image
10-11-2020
LOFAR 2.0 RCU2-H prototype
| Submitter: | Paulus Kruger |
| Description: | A joint team of INAF and ASTRON are developing two receivers for LOFAR 2.0 that can filter and digitize three channels simultaneously. RCU2-H for the high-band and RCU2-L for the low-band. These new receivers have a larger dynamic range than the existing ones, enabling LOFAR 2.0 to cope with higher levels of RFI without losing sensitivity. A first prototype of RCU2-L was shown in a previous image. Today's image shows a first prototype of RCU2-H. The top photo shows the filter PCB (left) designed and manufactured by INAF and the digitization PCB (right) by ASTRON. The filter PCB has two channels on one side (as seen in the photo) and the third on the other side. Fitting all the filters in the limited space, without changing their response and without coupling between them was quite a challenge. To demonstrate the dynamic range, the RCU2-H prototype was connected to an HBA tile and a Uniboard2. The middle figure shows the measured spectrum (in the test field at ASTRON). Note the large dynamic range, with the strong (P2000) paging signal at 169.65 MHz still a factor 10 000 (40 dB) smaller than the limit of the receiver. And to demonstrate that we did not sacrifice sensitivity, the bottom figures show the galactic noise as it drift through the tile beam pointing towards zenith. |
| Copyright: | ASTRON |
| Tweet |  |