Q-band single pixel receiver development for the ngVLA and NRC

Abstract

A single feed cryogenic Q-band (35 – 50 GHz) dual-linear polarization receiver is under development at the NRC, primarily to establish the antenna performance parameters of the Dish Verification Antenna 2 at its high-frequency limit and as a possible receiver system for the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s Next Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA). The cryostat houses a corrugated feed horn cooled to 16 K with a wide opening half-angle of 55°. The linear orthomode transducer (OMT) was redesigned to incorporate noise injection couplers and the power dividing function thus reducing the amount of components, connections, and thermal mass. The low noise (T LNA = 12 K) amplifier (LNA) was also redesigned to replace coaxial ports with WR-22 waveguide ports. The specifications, receiver design, measured farfield feed horn beam patterns from a near-field planar scanner, simulated OMT results, and sub-20 K receiver noise analysis is presented, along with future plans for production and installation.