190 research outputs found
Planck LFI flight model feed horns
this paper is part of the Prelaunch status LFI papers published on JINST:
http://www.iop.org/EJ/journal/-page=extra.proc5/jinst The Low Frequency
Instrument is optically interfaced with the ESA Planck telescope through 11
corrugated feed horns each connected to the Radiometer Chain Assembly (RCA).
This paper describes the design, the manufacturing and the testing of the
flight model feed horns. They have been designed to optimize the LFI optical
interfaces taking into account the tight mechanical requirements imposed by the
Planck focal plane layout. All the eleven units have been successfully tested
and integrated with the Ortho Mode transducers.Comment: This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article
accepted for publication in JINST. IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for
any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version
derived from it. The definitive publisher authenticated version is available
online at 10.1088/1748-0221/4/12/T1200
The Planck-LFI flight model composite waveguides
The Low Frequency Instrument on board the PLANCK satellite is designed to
give the most accurate map ever of the CMB anisotropy of the whole sky over a
broad frequency band spanning 27 to 77 GHz. It is made of an array of 22
pseudo-correlation radiometers, composed of 11 actively cooled (20 K) Front End
Modules (FEMs), and 11 Back End Modules (BEMs) at 300K. The connection between
the two parts is made with rectangular Wave Guides. Considerations of different
nature (thermal, electromagnetic and mechanical), imposed stringent
requirements on the WGs characteristics and drove their design. From the
thermal point of view, the WG should guarantee good insulation between the FEM
and the BEM sections to avoid overloading the cryocooler. On the other hand it
is essential that the signals do not undergo excessive attenuation through the
WG. Finally, given the different positions of the FEM modules behind the focal
surface and the mechanical constraints given by the surrounding structures,
different mechanical designs were necessary. A composite configuration of
Stainless Steel and Copper was selected to satisfy all the requirements. Given
the complex shape and the considerable length (about 1.5-2 m), manufacturing
and testing the WGs was a challenge. This work deals with the development of
the LFI WGs, including the choice of the final configuration and of the
fabrication process. It also describes the testing procedure adopted to fully
characterize these components from the electromagnetic point of view and the
space qualification process they underwent. Results obtained during the test
campaign are reported and compared with the stringent requirements. The
performance of the LFI WGs is in line with requirements, and the WGs were
successfully space qualified.Comment: this paper is part of the Prelaunch status LFI papers published on
JINST: http://www.iop.org/EJ/journal/-page=extra.proc5/jins
Evidence of a thermo-diffusion pinch on particle transport in FTU discharges close to density limit
Abstract In FTU, the density profile in the presence of large MARFE becomes more and more peaked with increasing density, forming strong density gradients close to the radial region affected by the MARFE. The temperature at the edge drops to few eV, driving a drop of the whole profile. The estimated particle source cannot justify the change of the density gradient, which instead is well-explained by a change of the pinch. A thermo-diffusion term well-describes the pinch evolution and the experimental behavior of the density at those radii where temperature measurements are reliable
Planck-LFI radiometers' spectral response
The Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) is an array of pseudo-correlation
radiometers on board the Planck satellite, the ESA mission dedicated to
precision measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background. The LFI covers three
bands centred at 30, 44 and 70 GHz, with a goal bandwidth of 20% of the central
frequency.
The characterization of the broadband frequency response of each radiometer
is necessary to understand and correct for systematic effects, particularly
those related to foreground residuals and polarization measurements. In this
paper we present the measured band shape of all the LFI channels and discuss
the methods adopted for their estimation. The spectral characterization of each
radiometer was obtained by combining the measured spectral response of
individual units through a dedicated RF model of the LFI receiver scheme.
As a consistency check, we also attempted end-to-end spectral measurements of
the integrated radiometer chain in a cryogenic chamber. However, due to
systematic effects in the measurement setup, only qualitative results were
obtained from these tests. The measured LFI bandpasses exhibit a moderate level
of ripple, compatible with the instrument scientific requirements.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures, this paper is part of the Prelaunch status LFI
papers published on JINST:
http://www.iop.org/EJ/journal/-page=extra.proc5/jins
High Performances Corrugated Feed Horns for Space Applications at Millimetre Wavelengths
We report on the design, fabrication and testing of a set of high performance
corrugated feed horns at 30 GHz, 70 GHz and 100 GHz, built as advanced
prototypes for the Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) of the ESA Planck mission.
The electromagnetic designs include linear (100 GHz) and dual shaped (30 and 70
GHz) profiles. Fabrication has been achieved by direct machining at 30 GHz, and
by electro-formation at higher frequencies. The measured performances on side
lobes and return loss meet the stringent Planck requirements over the large
(20%) instrument bandwidth. Moreover, the advantage in terms of main lobe shape
and side lobes levels of the dual profiled designs has been demonstrated.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Experimental
Astronom
A multichannel reflectometer for edge density profile measurements at the ICRF antenna in ASDEX upgrade
A multichannel reflectometer will be built for the new three-straps ICRF antenna of ASDEX Upgrade (AUG), to study the density behavior in front of it. Ten different accesses to the plasma are available for the three reflectometer channels that can be interchanged without breaking the machine vacuum. Frequency is scanned from 40 GHz to 68 GHz, in 10 mu s, which corresponds to a cut-off density ranging from 10(18) divided by 10(19)m(-3) in the Right cut-off of the X-mode propagation, for standard toroidal magnetic field values of AUG
The linearity response of the Planck-LFI flight model receivers
In this paper we discuss the linearity response of the Planck-LFI receivers,
with particular reference to signal compression measured on the 30 and 44 GHz
channels. In the article we discuss the various sources of compression and
present a model that accurately describes data measured during tests performed
with individual radiomeric chains. After discussing test results we present the
best parameter set representing the receiver response and discuss the impact of
non linearity on in-flight calibration, which is shown to be negligible.Comment: this paper is part of the Prelaunch status LFI papers published on
JINST: http://www.iop.org/EJ/journal/-page=extra.proc5/jinst; This is an
author-created, un-copyedited version of an article accepted for publication
in JINST. IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions
in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it. The
definitive publisher authenticated version is available online at
10.1088/1748-0221/4/12/T12011
Implementation of the new multichannel X-mode edge density profile reflectometer for the ICRF antenna on ASDEX Upgrade
A new multichannel frequency modulated continuous-wave reflectometry diagnostic has been successfully installed and commissioned on ASDEX Upgrade to measure the plasma edge electron density profile evolution in front of the Ion Cyclotron Range of Frequencies (ICRF) antenna. The design of the new three-strap ICRF antenna integrates ten pairs (sending and receiving) of microwave reflectometry antennas. The multichannel reflectometer can use three of these to measure the edge electron density profiles up to 2 x 10(19) m(-3), at different poloidal locations, allowing the direct study of the local plasma layers in front of the ICRF antenna. ICRF power coupling, operational effects, and poloidal variations of the plasma density profile can be consistently studied for the first time. In this work the diagnostic hardware architecture is described and the obtained density profile measurements were used to track outer radial plasma position and plasma shape
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