On beam characterization of ground-based CMB radio telescopes using UAV-mounted sources: application to the QUIJOTE TFGI and plans for LSPE-Strip
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| _version_ | 1866912455758708736 |
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| author | Paonessa, Fabio Ciorba, Lorenzo Addamo, Giuseppe Alonso-Arias, Paz Caccianiga, Barbara Bersanelli, Marco Cuttaia, Francesco Franceschet, Cristian Santos, Ricardo Tanausu Genova Gervasi, Massimo Hoyland, Roger Jones, Mike Lopez-Caraballo, Carlos Hugo Lumia, Mauro Maris, Michele Mennella, Aniello Morgante, Gianluca Peverini, Oscar Antonio Realini, Sabrina Rubino-Martin, Jose Alberto Sartor, Stefano Taylor, Angela Villa, Fabrizio Zannoni, Mario Virone, Giuseppe |
| author_facet | Paonessa, Fabio Ciorba, Lorenzo Addamo, Giuseppe Alonso-Arias, Paz Caccianiga, Barbara Bersanelli, Marco Cuttaia, Francesco Franceschet, Cristian Santos, Ricardo Tanausu Genova Gervasi, Massimo Hoyland, Roger Jones, Mike Lopez-Caraballo, Carlos Hugo Lumia, Mauro Maris, Michele Mennella, Aniello Morgante, Gianluca Peverini, Oscar Antonio Realini, Sabrina Rubino-Martin, Jose Alberto Sartor, Stefano Taylor, Angela Villa, Fabrizio Zannoni, Mario Virone, Giuseppe |
| contents | The Large Scale Polarization Explorer (LSPE) project, funded by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), includes the development of LSPE-Strip, a ground-based radio telescope for observing Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropies. LSPE-Strip, nearing its construction phase, will operate from the Teide Observatory in Tenerife, employing 49 coherent polarimeters at 43 GHz to deliver critical data on CMB anisotropies and 6 channels at 95 GHz as atmospheric monitor. On-site characterization of such advanced instruments is crucial to detect possible systematic effects, such as gain fluctuations, beam distortions, and pointing errors, that can compromise performance by introducing spurious polarizations or radiation collection from unintended directions. To address these challenges, a drone-mounted Q-band test source for on-site characterization of LSPE-Strip's polarimeter array was developed. Modern Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) offer a flexible approach for antenna pattern measurements, yet their use in high-frequency radio astronomy is not consolidated practice. In October 2022, a UAV-based measurement campaign was conducted with the TFGI instrument on the second QUIJOTE telescope in Tenerife, in collaboration with the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias. This pioneering effort aimed to validate UAV-based beam characterization methods and assess QUIJOTE's performance under operational conditions. Preliminary results demonstrated high measurement accuracy, leveraging QUIJOTE's dual-receiver configuration for beam validation. These findings provide valuable insights for optimizing UAV systems in preparation for LSPE-Strip's future characterization. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_22617 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | On beam characterization of ground-based CMB radio telescopes using UAV-mounted sources: application to the QUIJOTE TFGI and plans for LSPE-Strip Paonessa, Fabio Ciorba, Lorenzo Addamo, Giuseppe Alonso-Arias, Paz Caccianiga, Barbara Bersanelli, Marco Cuttaia, Francesco Franceschet, Cristian Santos, Ricardo Tanausu Genova Gervasi, Massimo Hoyland, Roger Jones, Mike Lopez-Caraballo, Carlos Hugo Lumia, Mauro Maris, Michele Mennella, Aniello Morgante, Gianluca Peverini, Oscar Antonio Realini, Sabrina Rubino-Martin, Jose Alberto Sartor, Stefano Taylor, Angela Villa, Fabrizio Zannoni, Mario Virone, Giuseppe Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics Systems and Control The Large Scale Polarization Explorer (LSPE) project, funded by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), includes the development of LSPE-Strip, a ground-based radio telescope for observing Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropies. LSPE-Strip, nearing its construction phase, will operate from the Teide Observatory in Tenerife, employing 49 coherent polarimeters at 43 GHz to deliver critical data on CMB anisotropies and 6 channels at 95 GHz as atmospheric monitor. On-site characterization of such advanced instruments is crucial to detect possible systematic effects, such as gain fluctuations, beam distortions, and pointing errors, that can compromise performance by introducing spurious polarizations or radiation collection from unintended directions. To address these challenges, a drone-mounted Q-band test source for on-site characterization of LSPE-Strip's polarimeter array was developed. Modern Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) offer a flexible approach for antenna pattern measurements, yet their use in high-frequency radio astronomy is not consolidated practice. In October 2022, a UAV-based measurement campaign was conducted with the TFGI instrument on the second QUIJOTE telescope in Tenerife, in collaboration with the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias. This pioneering effort aimed to validate UAV-based beam characterization methods and assess QUIJOTE's performance under operational conditions. Preliminary results demonstrated high measurement accuracy, leveraging QUIJOTE's dual-receiver configuration for beam validation. These findings provide valuable insights for optimizing UAV systems in preparation for LSPE-Strip's future characterization. |
| title | On beam characterization of ground-based CMB radio telescopes using UAV-mounted sources: application to the QUIJOTE TFGI and plans for LSPE-Strip |
| topic | Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics Systems and Control |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.22617 |