Research Gallery > The Yuan Tseh Lee Array (YTLA, formerly AMiBA)

Research Gallery

The Yuan Tseh Lee Array (YTLA, formerly AMiBA)

Index
Update [Login required]

Early Prototype Down Converter Plate, YTLA Project

Image Credit: Derek Kubo

Photo of wide-band radio frequency translator plate. This prototype provides signal conditioning and frequency translation of a pair of intermediate frequency channels to baseband for digitization.

Two of these prototype plates were developed and deployed on the YTLA telescope on Maunaloa to perform early astronomical tests using the newly developed 5 Gsps ADC and ROACH-2 digital correlator. This prototype was used specifically to down convert the 3.6-5.6 GHz portion of the IF spectra which corresponded to 87.6-89.6 GHz portion of the sky for the detection of HCN and HCO+ in Orion KL. The detection was successful and led to the development of a more versatile In-phase/Quadrature down converter currently in use on the YTLA telescope. Developed in Hilo by Derek Kubo and John Kuroda with science observations supported by Ranjani Srinivasan and operators, and digital backend support provided by Homin Jiang and Chaote Li in Taipei.