Architecture Design and Ground Performance of Netherlands‐China Low‐Frequency Explorer
Abstract The Netherlands‐China Low‐Frequency Explorer (NCLE) (Boonstra et al., 2017, https://www.ursi.org/proceedings/procGA17/papers/Paper_J19‐2(1603).pdf ; Chen et al., 2020, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2020AAS…23610203C/abstract ) is a radio instrument for astrophysical studies in the low‐frequency range (80 kHz–80 MHz). As a technology demonstrator, NCLE shall inform the design of future radio receivers that aim at low‐frequency radio astronomy. NCLE can make observations at very high spectral resolution ( < 1 kHz) and generate radio sky maps at an angular resolution of ≈1.5 radians. NCLE uses three monopole antennas, each 5 m long, and three identical analog signal chains to process the signal from each antenna. A single digital receiver samples the signal and calculates the auto‐correlated and cross‐correlated spectra. The instrument's analog and digital signal chains are extensively configurable. They can be fine‐tuned to produce broadband spectra covering the instrument's complete operating frequency range or sub‐bands. NCLE was developed within a veryshort timescale of 2 years, and currently, it is on board Queqiao, the relay spacecraft of the Chang'e‐ 4 mission, in a halo orbit around the Earth‐Moon L2 point. This paper outlines the science cases, instrument architecture with focus on the signal chain, and discusses the laboratory measurements during the pre‐launch phase.
Authors
- Sukanth Karapakula (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-0486-7955)
- Eric Bertels
- Hans van der Marel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0678-8068)
- Christiaan D. Brinkerink (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2322-0749)
- Mark Bentum (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1852-5214)
- A. van Duin
- Baolin Tan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2047-9664)
- Albert‐Jan Boonstra (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1439-5985)
- Baptiste Cecconi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7915-5571)
- Xiong Liang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8758-5328)
- Nico Ebbendorf
- David Prinsloo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6052-9692)
- Hamid Reza Pourshaghaghi
- Roel Jordans
- H. Falcke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2526-6724)
- M. Ruiter
- M. Arts (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0084-2526)
- M. Klein Wolt
- R. van Dongen
- M. Dekkali
- Yihua Yan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7106-6029)
- Mo Zhang
- P. Zarka (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1672-9878)
- Peter Dolron
- S. Damstra
- J. E. Bast
- R.H. Witvers
- A. Vecchio (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2002-1701)
- Lihua Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3175-0897)
- Hongbo Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3316-9403)
- Liang Dong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-1131-2893)
- Mingyuan Wang
- Ji Sun
- Linjie Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3618-3430)
- Gerard Aalbers
- Wietse Poiesz
- Jinsong Ping
- Maohai Huang
- J. Morawietz
Institutions
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Radboud University Nijmegen (NL)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (FR)
- Yunnan Observatories (CN)
- Sorbonne Université (FR)
- National Space Science Center (CN)
- Laboratoire d’études spatiales et d’instrumentation en astrophysique (FR)
- Innovative Solution In Space (Netherlands) (NL)
- National Astronomical Observatories (CN)
- Eindhoven University of Technology (NL)
- Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (NL)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Radio Science
- Published
- 2024-08-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1029/2023rs007906
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Radio Astronomy Observations and Technology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.33
Funders
- Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
- Université de Recherche Paris Sciences et Lettres