Receivers
Introduction
The receivers at Metsähovi operate at the millimeter wave region of the radio spectrum. Millimeter waves are part of radio waves having frequency 30-300 GHz and wavelength 10-1 mm. The importance of these waves has increased during recent years and new applications have been developed in telecommunications, measurement technology, medical electronics, industrial sensors, remote sensing, and radio astronomy. The essential feature in radio astronomy applications is the need for very sensitive detection of weak signals. This means that the sensitivity of the receiver is the most important parameter of the receiver. Better sensitivity can be achieved by using modern technology components such as HEMT based low noise amplifiers, cryogenic cooling, and computer aided simulation and design.
Receivers at MRO
Metsähovi Radio Observatory has the receivers listed in the table below. You can get more information by following the link at each receiver.
| Receiver | Signal Freq. [GHz] | IF freq. [GHz] | Polarization | Trec [K] | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 GHz Continuum | 21.0-22.0 / 22.4-23.4 | 0.2-1.2 | Linear | 270 |  |
| 22 GHz VLBI | 21.980-22.480 | 0.5-1.0 | LCP / RCP | 60 | |
| 37 GHz Continuum/Solar | 35.3-36.3 / 37.3-38.3 | 0.5-1.5 | Linear | 280 | |
| 37 GHz Solar | 37.0 | 0.25-1.0 | 4 Stokes | 420 |  |
| 43 GHz VLBI | 40.0-45.0 | 8.5-11.5 / 0.5-1.0 | LCP / RCP | 65 |  |
| 80-115 GHz Spectral Line | 80-115 | 1.0-1.6 | Linear | 150 | |
| (90 GHz) 150 GHz VLBI | (84-115), 129-175 | 3.7-4.2 / 0.5-1.0 | LCP / RCP | TBD | |
| new 3 mm VLBI | 84-98 | TBD | LCP / RCP | TBD |  |
| Geo-VLBI | 8.15-8.65, 2.21-2.35 | 0.5-0.98, 0.68-0.82 | RCP | 94, 102 | |
Future upgrades
In the following years some new receivers will be constructed:
- 3 mm band RX with HEMT LNA front end
- K and Q band pseudocorrelation RXs
- wideband X to Geo-VLBI