SBIR Phase II: Digital Correlator Imaging Spectrometer For Submillimeter Astronomy

这项小型企业创新研究（SBIR）二期研究项目将开发显著提高数字自相关光谱仪带宽和时钟速率的技术。天文学家正在增加对数字自相关器的依赖，以接收隐藏在噪声中的亚毫米波长信号。对于较大的红移源，需要几十GHz的带宽。数字光谱仪还需要用于管理宽带无线软件定义无线电系统的通信频谱。这些正在开发的系统基于一种全新的无线通信范式：模拟无线信号直接转换为射频频率的数字域。宽带超导数字射频硬件将产生极其强大的系统，具有处理复杂波形（例如宽带网络波形）的革命性新机会。天文学家需要紧凑的光谱仪来研究诸如行星大气、分子云和河外天体等来源。远处的信号源有非常小的红移，大约有几十千兆赫。因此，光谱仪的带宽和灵敏度必须比现有仪器提供的更好。将这些技术元素应用到通信中可以实现软件定义的全数字无线电系统。无线通信技术的进步正在帮助美国变得更有生产力和社会活跃度。功率效率和灵敏度将比传统系统高几个数量级，同时以一小部分成本实现软件功能和升级。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II research project will develop technology to significantly improve digital-auto-correlator spectrometer bandwidths and clock rates. Astronomers are increasing their reliance on digital auto-correlators for receiving sub-millimeter-wavelength signals buried in noise. For larger red-shift sources, bandwidths of tens of GHz are required. Digital spectrometers are also required to manage communications spectrum for wideband wireless software-defined radio systems. These systems under development are based on a radically new wireless-communications paradigm: the analog wireless signal is converted directly to the digital domain at RF frequencies. Wideband superconducting digital-RF hardware will result in extremely robust systems, with revolutionary new opportunities for handling complex waveforms (e.g. the Wideband Networking Waveform).Astronomers need compact spectrometers to study sources such as planetary atmospheres, molecular clouds, and extragalactic objects. Distant sources have very small signals that are red-shifted by as much as tens of GHz. Therefore, spectrometer bandwidth and sensitivity must be better than present instruments offer. Applying these technology elements to communications enables software-defined all-digital radio systems. Improvements in wireless communications are helping the U.S. to become more productive and socially active. Power efficiency and sensitivity will be orders of magnitude greater than conventional systems, while enabling software functionality and upgrades, at a fraction of the cost.