Solar radiation effects on the Sardinia Radio Telescope performances

Date Issued
2022
Author(s)
•
•
•
Cazzani, Antonio
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Sanna, Giannina
•
GSerra, iampaolo
•
Stochino, Flavio
•
DOI
Abstract
The Sardinia Radio Telescope, a 64-metre diameter fully steerable radio telescope operated by INAF, will be upgraded in order to extend its current operating frequency range 0.3-26.5 GHz up to 116 GHz, thanks to a National Operational Program (PON) funding assigned to INAF by the Italian Ministry of University and Research. The PON project is organized in nine Work Packages, one of which is dedicated to the accomplishment of a sophisticated metrology system designed to monitor the cause of the pointing errors and the reflector surface deformations. The entire antenna structure will therefore be equipped with a network of sensors, like thermal sensors, inclinometers, accelerometers, collimators, anemometers, strain gauges and others, to study environmental stresses and how they affect the SRT performances. This work is devoted to the investigation of the thermal stress effects produced by solar radiation. In particular, two analyses are carried out to confirm the relevance of a thorough temperature monitoring system, both conducted using Finite Element Analysis. First, a possible approach for the simulation of realistic thermal scenarios due to insolation is proposed and the effects on the pointing accuracy are analysed. Second, a feasible method to study the impacts that a differential heating of the Back Up Structure (BUS) produces on the radio telescope main reflector surface is presented. Finally, these effects are analysed as optical aberrations and modelled in terms of Zernike polynomials.
Coverage
Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes IX
All editors
Marshall, Heather K.; Spyromilio, Jason; Usuda, Tomonori
Series
Volume
12182
Start page
2
Conferenece
Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation
Conferenece place
Montréal, Québec, Canada
Conferenece date
17-23 July, 2022
Uri
Url
Issn Identifier
0277-786X
Ads BibCode
2022SPIE12182E..03A
Rights
open.access
File(s)
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name

Solar_rad_effects_on_the_SRT_performances.pdf

Description
Pdf editoriale
Size

4.5 MB

Format

Adobe PDF

Checksum (MD5)

a578e10688eb209afcf997668f73cc70