The redshifted 21 cm line,arising from neutral hydrogen,offers a unique probe into the intergalactic medium and the first stars and galaxies formed in the early universe.However,detecting this signal is a challenging ...The redshifted 21 cm line,arising from neutral hydrogen,offers a unique probe into the intergalactic medium and the first stars and galaxies formed in the early universe.However,detecting this signal is a challenging task because of artificial radio-frequency interference(RFI)and systematic errors such as ground effects.The interior of the Antarctic continent provides an excellent location to make such observations,with minimal RFI and relatively stable foreground signals.Moreover,a flat plateau in central Antarctica,with an ice cap over 2000 m deep,will show less ground reflection of radio waves,reducing the signal complexity in the area around the probing antenna.It may be advantageous to perform cosmological 21 cm experiments in Antarctica,and a 21 cm Antarctic global spectrum experiment can potentially be deployed on the Antarctic ice cap.We have performed preliminary instrumental design,system calibration,and implementation of such an instrument optimized for extreme cold and capable of long-term autonomous operation.This system shows the ability to effectively detect the 21 cm signal,confirming Antarctica as an excellent observational site for radio cosmology.展开更多
Detecting primordial fluctuations from the cosmic dark ages requires extremely large low-frequency radio telescope arrays deployed on the far side of the Moon.The antenna of such an array must be lightweight,easily st...Detecting primordial fluctuations from the cosmic dark ages requires extremely large low-frequency radio telescope arrays deployed on the far side of the Moon.The antenna of such an array must be lightweight,easily storable and transportable,deployable on a large scale,durable,and capable of good electrical performance.A membrane antenna is an excellent candidate to meet these criteria.We study the design of a low-frequency membrane antenna for a lunar-based low-frequency(<30 MHz)radio telescope constructed from polyimide film widely used in aerospace applications,owing to its excellent dielectric properties and high stability as a substrate material.We first design and optimize an antenna in free space through dipole deformation and coupling principles,then simulate an antenna on the lunar surface with a simple lunar soil model,yielding an efficiency greater than 90%in the range of 12-19 MHz and greater than 10%in the range of 5-35 MHz.The antenna inherits the omni-directional radiation pattern of a simple dipole antenna in the 5-30 MHz frequency band,giving a large field of view and allowing detection of the 21 cm global signal when used alone.A demonstration prototype is constructed,and its measured electrical property is found to be consistent with simulated results using|S11|measurements.This membrane antenna can potentially fulfill the requirements of a lunar low-frequency array,establishing a solid technical foundation for future large-scale arrays for exploring the cosmic dark ages.展开更多
基金supported by the Polar Research Institute of China and the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administrationsupported by the Chinese Academy of Science Key Instrument(ZDKYYQ20200008)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(12473094 and 12273070).
文摘The redshifted 21 cm line,arising from neutral hydrogen,offers a unique probe into the intergalactic medium and the first stars and galaxies formed in the early universe.However,detecting this signal is a challenging task because of artificial radio-frequency interference(RFI)and systematic errors such as ground effects.The interior of the Antarctic continent provides an excellent location to make such observations,with minimal RFI and relatively stable foreground signals.Moreover,a flat plateau in central Antarctica,with an ice cap over 2000 m deep,will show less ground reflection of radio waves,reducing the signal complexity in the area around the probing antenna.It may be advantageous to perform cosmological 21 cm experiments in Antarctica,and a 21 cm Antarctic global spectrum experiment can potentially be deployed on the Antarctic ice cap.We have performed preliminary instrumental design,system calibration,and implementation of such an instrument optimized for extreme cold and capable of long-term autonomous operation.This system shows the ability to effectively detect the 21 cm signal,confirming Antarctica as an excellent observational site for radio cosmology.
基金We acknowledge the support of the National SKA program of China(2022SKA0110100,2022SKA0110101)the Natural Science Foundation of China(12273070,12203061,1236114814,12303004).
文摘Detecting primordial fluctuations from the cosmic dark ages requires extremely large low-frequency radio telescope arrays deployed on the far side of the Moon.The antenna of such an array must be lightweight,easily storable and transportable,deployable on a large scale,durable,and capable of good electrical performance.A membrane antenna is an excellent candidate to meet these criteria.We study the design of a low-frequency membrane antenna for a lunar-based low-frequency(<30 MHz)radio telescope constructed from polyimide film widely used in aerospace applications,owing to its excellent dielectric properties and high stability as a substrate material.We first design and optimize an antenna in free space through dipole deformation and coupling principles,then simulate an antenna on the lunar surface with a simple lunar soil model,yielding an efficiency greater than 90%in the range of 12-19 MHz and greater than 10%in the range of 5-35 MHz.The antenna inherits the omni-directional radiation pattern of a simple dipole antenna in the 5-30 MHz frequency band,giving a large field of view and allowing detection of the 21 cm global signal when used alone.A demonstration prototype is constructed,and its measured electrical property is found to be consistent with simulated results using|S11|measurements.This membrane antenna can potentially fulfill the requirements of a lunar low-frequency array,establishing a solid technical foundation for future large-scale arrays for exploring the cosmic dark ages.
