A Cardboard Microwave Horn for Galactic Radio Astronomy
Faculty Mentor Name
James Hetrick
Research or Creativity Area
Natural Sciences
Abstract
Our interdisciplinary team of physics, engineering-physics, and math students built a working radio telescope in the form of a microwave cavity horn from cardboard, foil, a low-cost RF amplifier, and a Raspberry Pi computer for under $100. The microwave cavity is tuned to the 1.4204 GHz signal given off by atomic Hydrogen in the Milky Way galaxy. The system is performing well in the lab and has good frequency resolution, enabling it to measure the velocity of Hydrogen to km/s accuracy. We expect to have results from observations of large (light-year-sized) gas clouds in the Milky Way galaxy by the time of the PURCC.
A Cardboard Microwave Horn for Galactic Radio Astronomy
Our interdisciplinary team of physics, engineering-physics, and math students built a working radio telescope in the form of a microwave cavity horn from cardboard, foil, a low-cost RF amplifier, and a Raspberry Pi computer for under $100. The microwave cavity is tuned to the 1.4204 GHz signal given off by atomic Hydrogen in the Milky Way galaxy. The system is performing well in the lab and has good frequency resolution, enabling it to measure the velocity of Hydrogen to km/s accuracy. We expect to have results from observations of large (light-year-sized) gas clouds in the Milky Way galaxy by the time of the PURCC.
