Design, Implementation, and Characterization of a Signal Acquisition Chain for SADino: The Precursor of the Italian Low-Frequency Telescope Named the Sardinia Aperture Array Demonstrator (SAAD)
Low-frequency aperture arrays represent sensitive instruments to detect signals from radio astronomic sources situated in the universe. In Italy, the Sardinia Aperture Array Demonstrator (SAAD) consists of an ongoing project of the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) aimed to install...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Sensors |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/23/22/9151 |
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| author | Adelaide Ladu Luca Schirru Mauro Pili Gian Paolo Vargiu Francesco Gaudiomonte Federico Perini Andrea Melis Raimondo Concu Matteo Murgia |
| author_facet | Adelaide Ladu Luca Schirru Mauro Pili Gian Paolo Vargiu Francesco Gaudiomonte Federico Perini Andrea Melis Raimondo Concu Matteo Murgia |
| author_sort | Adelaide Ladu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Low-frequency aperture arrays represent sensitive instruments to detect signals from radio astronomic sources situated in the universe. In Italy, the Sardinia Aperture Array Demonstrator (SAAD) consists of an ongoing project of the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) aimed to install an aperture array constituted of 128 dual-polarized Vivaldi antennas at the Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT) site. The originally envisaged 128 elements of SAAD were re-scoped to the 16 elements of its precursor named SADino, with the aim to quickly test the system with a digital beam-former based on the Italian Tile Processing Module (iTPM) digital back-end. A preliminary measurements campaign of radio frequency interference (RFI) was performed to survey the less contaminated spectral region. The results of these measurements permitted the establishment of the technical requirements for receiving a chain for the SADino telescope. In this paper, the design, implementation, and characterization of this signal acquisition chain are proposed. The operative frequency window of SAAD and its precursor, SADino, sweeps from 260 MHz to 420 MHz, which appears very attractive for radio astronomy applications and radar observation in space and surveillance awareness (SSA) activities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:29:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fa2179ac2af344cd90f8ea782535ff96 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-8220 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:29:00Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sensors |
| spelling | doaj.art-fa2179ac2af344cd90f8ea782535ff962023-11-24T15:05:32ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202023-11-012322915110.3390/s23229151Design, Implementation, and Characterization of a Signal Acquisition Chain for SADino: The Precursor of the Italian Low-Frequency Telescope Named the Sardinia Aperture Array Demonstrator (SAAD)Adelaide Ladu0Luca Schirru1Mauro Pili2Gian Paolo Vargiu3Francesco Gaudiomonte4Federico Perini5Andrea Melis6Raimondo Concu7Matteo Murgia8National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), Cagliari Astronomical Observatory, Via della Scienza 5, 09047 Selargius, ItalyNational Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), Cagliari Astronomical Observatory, Via della Scienza 5, 09047 Selargius, ItalyNational Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), Cagliari Astronomical Observatory, Via della Scienza 5, 09047 Selargius, ItalyNational Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), Cagliari Astronomical Observatory, Via della Scienza 5, 09047 Selargius, ItalyNational Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), Cagliari Astronomical Observatory, Via della Scienza 5, 09047 Selargius, ItalyNational Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), Istituto di Radioastronomia (IRA), Via Fiorentina 3513, 40059 Medicina, ItalyNational Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), Cagliari Astronomical Observatory, Via della Scienza 5, 09047 Selargius, ItalyNational Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), Cagliari Astronomical Observatory, Via della Scienza 5, 09047 Selargius, ItalyNational Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), Cagliari Astronomical Observatory, Via della Scienza 5, 09047 Selargius, ItalyLow-frequency aperture arrays represent sensitive instruments to detect signals from radio astronomic sources situated in the universe. In Italy, the Sardinia Aperture Array Demonstrator (SAAD) consists of an ongoing project of the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) aimed to install an aperture array constituted of 128 dual-polarized Vivaldi antennas at the Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT) site. The originally envisaged 128 elements of SAAD were re-scoped to the 16 elements of its precursor named SADino, with the aim to quickly test the system with a digital beam-former based on the Italian Tile Processing Module (iTPM) digital back-end. A preliminary measurements campaign of radio frequency interference (RFI) was performed to survey the less contaminated spectral region. The results of these measurements permitted the establishment of the technical requirements for receiving a chain for the SADino telescope. In this paper, the design, implementation, and characterization of this signal acquisition chain are proposed. The operative frequency window of SAAD and its precursor, SADino, sweeps from 260 MHz to 420 MHz, which appears very attractive for radio astronomy applications and radar observation in space and surveillance awareness (SSA) activities.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/23/22/9151microwave components for radio astronomylow-frequency aperture arrayradio frequency interference (RFI)ultra-high frequency (UHF)radio telescoperadio astronomy |
| spellingShingle | Adelaide Ladu Luca Schirru Mauro Pili Gian Paolo Vargiu Francesco Gaudiomonte Federico Perini Andrea Melis Raimondo Concu Matteo Murgia Design, Implementation, and Characterization of a Signal Acquisition Chain for SADino: The Precursor of the Italian Low-Frequency Telescope Named the Sardinia Aperture Array Demonstrator (SAAD) Sensors microwave components for radio astronomy low-frequency aperture array radio frequency interference (RFI) ultra-high frequency (UHF) radio telescope radio astronomy |
| title | Design, Implementation, and Characterization of a Signal Acquisition Chain for SADino: The Precursor of the Italian Low-Frequency Telescope Named the Sardinia Aperture Array Demonstrator (SAAD) |
| title_full | Design, Implementation, and Characterization of a Signal Acquisition Chain for SADino: The Precursor of the Italian Low-Frequency Telescope Named the Sardinia Aperture Array Demonstrator (SAAD) |
| title_fullStr | Design, Implementation, and Characterization of a Signal Acquisition Chain for SADino: The Precursor of the Italian Low-Frequency Telescope Named the Sardinia Aperture Array Demonstrator (SAAD) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Design, Implementation, and Characterization of a Signal Acquisition Chain for SADino: The Precursor of the Italian Low-Frequency Telescope Named the Sardinia Aperture Array Demonstrator (SAAD) |
| title_short | Design, Implementation, and Characterization of a Signal Acquisition Chain for SADino: The Precursor of the Italian Low-Frequency Telescope Named the Sardinia Aperture Array Demonstrator (SAAD) |
| title_sort | design implementation and characterization of a signal acquisition chain for sadino the precursor of the italian low frequency telescope named the sardinia aperture array demonstrator saad |
| topic | microwave components for radio astronomy low-frequency aperture array radio frequency interference (RFI) ultra-high frequency (UHF) radio telescope radio astronomy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/23/22/9151 |
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