A 2.3-GHz maser at Usuda, Japan, for TDRSS-orbiting VLBI experiment

A 2.3 GHz traveling-wave maser/closed-cycle refrigerator (TWM/CCR) that is used in the DSN was installed and successfully operated on the 64 m antenna at Usuda, Japan. The TWM/CCR supported the first very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) experiment to use an orbiting spacecraft as one of the receiving antennas. The experiment required a 15 K receiving system over a 2271 to 2285 MHz bandwidth. The maser installation was made during June 1986, and successful VLBI measurements were made during July and August 1986 and again in January 1987

Dual-polarization 8.45 GHz traveling-wave maser

An 8.5 GHz dual-channel, dual-polarization traveling-wave maser (TWM) amplifier was installed in the XKR solar system radar cone at DSS 14. The TWM is based on the Blk IIA 8.45 GHz maser structure, with two of the four maser stages being used for each channel, and each maser half then followed by a high-performance GaAs FET amplifier to achieve the desired net gain. A shortened low-noise input waveguide and an orthogonal-mode junction which is cooled to 4.5 K feeds each amplifier chain. The rotation of an external polarizer permits the polarization of each channel to be defined as either linear or circular. A circular waveguide switch was also developed to provide for noise calibration and to protect the maser from incident transmitter power

Improved masers for X-band and Ku band

Slow-wave structure of traveling-wave maser utilizes comb system which is comprised of ruby on one side and alumina on other; alumina also supports isolator material. Radiation at pump frequency is coupled to ruby through shaped alumina strips. Contact between ruby bars and comb completes conductance path for heat transfer

Resonant isolator for maser amplifier

An isolator is described for use in a low noise maser amplifier, which provides low loss across a wide bandwidth and which can be constructed at moderate cost. The isolator includes a train of garnet or ferrite elements extending along the length of a microwave channel parallel to the slow wave structure, with the elements being of staggered height, so that the thin elements which are resonant to the microwaves are separated by much thicker elements. The thick garnet or ferrite elements reduce the magnetic flux passing through the thin elements to permit altering of the shape of the thin elements so as to facilitate their fabrication and to provide better isolation with reduced loss, by increasing the thickness of the thin elements and decreasing their length and width

Dielectric-loaded waveguide circulator for cryogenically cooled and cascaded maser waveguide structures

A dielectrically loaded four port waveguide circulator is used with a reflected wave maser connected to a second port between first and third ports to form one of a plurality of cascaded maser waveguide structures. The fourth port is connected to a waveguide loaded with microwave energy absorbing material. The third (output signal) port of one maser waveguide structure is connected by a waveguide loaded with dielectric material to the first (input) port of an adjacent maser waveguide structure, and the second port is connected to a reflected wave maser by a matching transformer which passes the signal to be amplified into and out of the reflected wavemaser and blocks pumping energy in the reflected wave maser from entering the circulator. A number of cascaded maser waveguide structures are thus housed in a relatively small volume of conductive material placed within a cryogenically cooled magnet assembly