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A wide-band, active antenna system for long wavelength radio astronomy

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 نشر من قبل Paul S. Ray
 تاريخ النشر 2012
  مجال البحث فيزياء
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We describe an active antenna system for HF/VHF (long wavelength) radio astronomy that has been successfully deployed 256-fold as the first station (LWA1) of the planned Long Wavelength Array. The antenna system, consisting of crossed dipoles, an active balun/preamp, a support structure, and a ground screen has been shown to successfully operate over at least the band from 20 MHz (15 m wavelength) to 80 MHz (3.75 m wavelength) with a noise figure that is at least 6 dB better than the Galactic background emission noise temperature over that band. Thus, the goal to design and construct a compact, inexpensive, rugged, and easily assembled antenna system that can be deployed many-fold to form numerous large individual stations for the purpose of building a large, long wavelength synthesis array telescope for radio astronomical and ionospheric observations was met.



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