Operational performance of the EVLA LO round-trip phase system

Steven J. Durand; Terry Cotter

doi:10.1117/12.459502

27 November 2002 Operational performance of the EVLA LO round-trip phase system

Steven J. Durand, Terry Cotter

Proceedings Volume 4845, Advanced Global Communications Technologies for Astronomy II; (2002) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.459502
Event: Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation, 2002, Waikoloa, Hawai'i, United States

Abstract

The goal of the Expanded Very Large Array (EVLA), project is to upgrade a world-class astronomical instrument in the meter-to-millimeter wavelength bands. The project combines modern technologies with the sound design of the existing Very Large Array (VLA) to increase by an order of magnitude the sensitivity, resolution, and frequency coverage of the existing instrument. This paper discusses the techniques used to maintain phase coherence of the EVLA system. The enhancements to the VLA system include improved feeds and receivers, new Local Oscillator (LO) and Intermediate Frequency (IF) systems, a fiber optic LO distribution system, high speed digitizers, 10Gbps digital links, a dense wavelength division multiplexed fiber transmission system, and a new high speed correlator. The phase requirement for the LO system requires that a phase stability of 2.8 picoseconds per hour at 40 GHz be maintained across the entire array. To accomplish this, a near real time continuous measurement will be made of the phase delay in the fiber optic cable distributing the LO reference signals to each antenna. This information will be used by the correlator to set the delay on each of the baselines in the array.

Citation Download Citation

Steven J. Durand and Terry Cotter "Operational performance of the EVLA LO round-trip phase system", Proc. SPIE 4845, Advanced Global Communications Technologies for Astronomy II, (27 November 2002); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.459502

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