Download presentation
Presentation is loading. Please wait.
Published byArlene Barker Modified over 8 years ago
1
1 mm Polarization Science with CARMA Chat Hull UC Berkeley, Radio Astronomy Laboratory Collaborators: Dick Plambeck, Greg Engargiola, & all the CARMA staff 12 October 2011 NSF Reverse Site Visit Washington, DC
2
1 mm Polarization: Science Goals Magnetic-field morphology in Class 0s – B-field vs. outflow direction – Using dust polarization and Goldreich-Kylafis effect Polarization variability in Sgr A* – Probing time-variable accretion onto central BH Collaborator interests – MHD turbulence
3
Waveguide circular polarizer Orthomode transducer SIS mixers WBA13 I.F. amplifiers (1-9 GHz ) 1 inch 1 mm Dual-polarization Receivers
4
Hardware Testing
6
Percentage Position Angle Calibration: Beam Polarization
7
Calibration: XY Phase
8
First Results: NGC 1333-IRAS 4A
9
First results: L1157
10
Science goals – Molecular emission in galaxies – Galaxy clusters – Protoplanetary debris disks – Dust polarization in star-forming regions CARMA Combine Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy Consortium: Berkeley, Caltech, Illinois, Maryland, Chicago Attributes – 6 10-m, 9 6-m, 8 3.5- m telescopes – Observations at 1mm, 3mm, and 1cm – Located in Cedar Flat, CA (near Bishop)
11
Credit: Bill Saxton, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
12
First Target: NGC 1333 IRAS 4A We want to search for “hourglass” shape of the B-field structure in the circumbinary envelope Girart+ 2006 CARMA observations SMA observations
13
Class 0 Dust Polarization Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, J. Hester and P. Scowen (Arizona State University)
14
Why observe polarization? B-fields play an important role in star formation How important? Are they strong (& ordered)? Are they weak (& chaotic)? B-fields polarization Dust grains align their spin axes with B-fields Dust emission is strong at 1 mm
15
How do we make it work? Grad student
16
Turnstile-junction OMT Navarrini & Plambeck 2006, IEEE-MTT, 54, 272-277 1 cm
17
OMT construction
18
Unequal sidearm lengths in OMT can cause resonances (simulation)
19
OMT tests at 4K (passbands, LO = 210-255 GHz in 1 GHz steps) OMT10 (bad ) OMT15 (good)
20
Polarizer construction Aluminum mandrel Copper electroplated onto mandrel MachinedSoldered into waveguide flange 1 inch
21
Final design: 2-section polarizer λ/2 retarder at 15° λ/4 retarder at 74.5° 0.047’’ diameter facets 0.006’’ deep
22
XY RL Sky Receiver
23
Sample polarizer test data (mandrel machining errors) Fraction of linear radiation converted to RCP and LCP
24
Polarization calibration Two main steps to calibrate a polarimeter: – XY phase The absolute phase offset between the RCP and LCP receivers of an antenna – Leakage terms The fraction of LCP radiation detected in the RCP receiver, and vice versa
25
XY phase calibration How do we find an antenna’s XY phase? – Observe a strongly polarized source with known position angle These don’t exist at mm wavelengths We create our own by observing broadband noise from the ambient load through a wire-grid polarizer!
26
XY phase calibration AMBIENT LOAD (300 K) SKY (~60 K) FEED HORN WIRE-GRID POLARIZER
27
1 mm signal path Block downconverte rs 8-way splitters RF = 210 – 270 GHz IF = 1 – 9 GHz Baseband = 0.5 – 1.0 GHz Feed horn Polarizer OM T RC P 1 – 9 GHz 5 – 9 GHz 1 – 5 GHz RF mixer Baseband mixer 10 GHz mixer LO 2 1.75 – 4.25 GHz LCP 0.5 – 1.0 GHz NOISE Correlated Noise Source All phases flat To digitizer, filter, & correlator FILT ER 1 – 5 GHz τ4τ4 τ 3,hi τ 3,lo τ2τ2 τ1τ1 1 – 9 GHz 5 – 9 GHz 1 – 5 GHz 0.5 – 1.0 GHz FILT ER 1 – 5 GHz To digitizer, filter, & correlator
28
Status/conclusions Dual-polarization receivers are installed on all 15 6- and 10-m telescopes Full-Stokes (LL, LR, RL, RR) system is working Observed NGC 1333-IRAS 4A as a commissioning test XY phase offset is well understood Leakages need to be determined better Will soon install new Berkeley-made polarizers Full-Stokes commissioning time will be in Oct., 2011
Similar presentations
© 2025 SlidePlayer.com. Inc.
All rights reserved.