"THE LOFAR RECEVER FROM ASTRONOMICAL REQUIREMENT TO PROTOTYPE"
J. Morawietz, M.J. Norden ASTRON, The Netherlands
A b s t r a c t
The Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) is an aperture synthesis antenna array for radio astronomical application composed of the order of 80 stations in phased array technology distributed over an area with 150 km diameter.
LOFAR, which is currently realized by ASTRON in the Netherlands, will open a new high resolution window on the electromagnetic spectrum from 10-240 MHz.
Sky noise, radio interference, flexibility and cost are the crucial opponents which determine the design of the receiver unit.
The lecture will give an insight in the LOFAR receiver functionality and its architecture, and how design issues are driven by the requirements for a modern radio astronomical instrument.