In order to meet its cutting-edge scientific objectives, the Square Kilometre
Array (SKA) telescope requires high-precision frequency references to be
distributed to each of its antennas. The frequency references are distributed
via fiber-optic links and must be actively stabilized to compensate for
phase-noise imposed on the signals by environmental perturbations on the links.
SKA engineering requirements demand that any proposed frequency reference
distribution system be proved in "astronomical verification" tests. We present
results of the astronomical verification of a stabilized frequency reference
transfer system proposed for SKA-mid. The dual-receiver architecture of the
Australia Telescope Compact Array was exploited to subtract the phase-noise of
the sky signal from the data, allowing the phase-noise of observations
performed using a standard frequency reference, as well as the stabilized
frequency reference transfer system transmitting over 77 km of fiber-optic
cable, to be directly compared. Results are presented for the fractional
frequency stability and phase-drift of the stabilized frequency reference
transfer system for celestial calibrator observations at 5 GHz and 25 GHz.
These observations plus additional laboratory results for the transferred
signal stability over a 166 km metropolitan fiber-optic link are used to show
that the stabilized transfer system under test exceeds all SKA phase-stability
requirements under a broad range of observing conditions. Furthermore, we have
shown that alternative reference dissemination systems that use multiple
synthesizers to supply reference signals to sub-sections of an array may limit
the imaging capability of the telescope.Comment: 12 pages, accepted to The Astronomical Journa
