Radio frequency over fiber technology for SKA-low receiver

The signal reception chain is an essential element for achieving the square kilometer array-low (SKA-low) system requirements in terms of high sensitivity and dynamic range. The balance between gain, linearity, and low power consumption, as well as the cost, are fundamental parameters that influence...

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Main Authors: Perini, Federico, Rusticelli, Simone, Schiaffino, Marco, Mattana, Andrea, Monari, Jader, Tartarini, Giovanni, Nanni, Jacopo, Juswardy, Budi, Wayth, Randall, Waterson, Mark
Format: Journal Article
Published: SPIE 2022
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/88130
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author Perini, Federico
Rusticelli, Simone
Schiaffino, Marco
Mattana, Andrea
Monari, Jader
Tartarini, Giovanni
Nanni, Jacopo
Juswardy, Budi
Wayth, Randall
Waterson, Mark
author_facet Perini, Federico
Rusticelli, Simone
Schiaffino, Marco
Mattana, Andrea
Monari, Jader
Tartarini, Giovanni
Nanni, Jacopo
Juswardy, Budi
Wayth, Randall
Waterson, Mark
author_sort Perini, Federico
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description The signal reception chain is an essential element for achieving the square kilometer array-low (SKA-low) system requirements in terms of high sensitivity and dynamic range. The balance between gain, linearity, and low power consumption, as well as the cost, are fundamental parameters that influence the selection of the most suitable technology for SKA-low. Further factors, such as low self-generated radio frequency (RF) interference, high reliability, robustness under extreme environment, and last but not least, the distance between the antennas and the acquisition systems, have impacts on the selection for both architecture and receiver system design. The selected technology for the SKA-low RF signal transportation is RF-over-fiber systems, where the preamplified RF signal picked up by the antennas is carried via analogue modulation over optical fiber. The rationales behind the selection are reported, along with descriptions on the development of the receiver prototypes. The prototypes were deployed and installed on the demonstrator arrays at the selected SKA-low site in Western Australian. Particular attention has been put on the thermal characterization of the receiver system under the actual operating temperature on site, especially when both transmitting part and the optical medium are subjected to external ambient temperature variations. Performance issues encountered in the demonstrator arrays are also discussed along with some proposals for future activities.
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institution Curtin University Malaysia
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publishDate 2022
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-881302022-03-28T02:31:59Z Radio frequency over fiber technology for SKA-low receiver Perini, Federico Rusticelli, Simone Schiaffino, Marco Mattana, Andrea Monari, Jader Tartarini, Giovanni Nanni, Jacopo Juswardy, Budi Wayth, Randall Waterson, Mark The signal reception chain is an essential element for achieving the square kilometer array-low (SKA-low) system requirements in terms of high sensitivity and dynamic range. The balance between gain, linearity, and low power consumption, as well as the cost, are fundamental parameters that influence the selection of the most suitable technology for SKA-low. Further factors, such as low self-generated radio frequency (RF) interference, high reliability, robustness under extreme environment, and last but not least, the distance between the antennas and the acquisition systems, have impacts on the selection for both architecture and receiver system design. The selected technology for the SKA-low RF signal transportation is RF-over-fiber systems, where the preamplified RF signal picked up by the antennas is carried via analogue modulation over optical fiber. The rationales behind the selection are reported, along with descriptions on the development of the receiver prototypes. The prototypes were deployed and installed on the demonstrator arrays at the selected SKA-low site in Western Australian. Particular attention has been put on the thermal characterization of the receiver system under the actual operating temperature on site, especially when both transmitting part and the optical medium are subjected to external ambient temperature variations. Performance issues encountered in the demonstrator arrays are also discussed along with some proposals for future activities. 2022 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/88130 10.1117/1.JATIS.8.1.011016 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ SPIE fulltext
spellingShingle Perini, Federico
Rusticelli, Simone
Schiaffino, Marco
Mattana, Andrea
Monari, Jader
Tartarini, Giovanni
Nanni, Jacopo
Juswardy, Budi
Wayth, Randall
Waterson, Mark
Radio frequency over fiber technology for SKA-low receiver
title Radio frequency over fiber technology for SKA-low receiver
title_full Radio frequency over fiber technology for SKA-low receiver
title_fullStr Radio frequency over fiber technology for SKA-low receiver
title_full_unstemmed Radio frequency over fiber technology for SKA-low receiver
title_short Radio frequency over fiber technology for SKA-low receiver
title_sort radio frequency over fiber technology for ska-low receiver
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/88130