Mechanical Interfaces to the OMAyA Cryostat

Presenter

Angelina Marie Shayda

Campus

UMass Amherst

Sponsor

Gopal Narayanan, Department of Astronomy, UMass Amherst

Schedule

Session 4, 2:30 PM - 3:15 PM [Schedule by Time][Poster Grid for Time/Location]

Location

Poster Board A15, Campus Center Auditorium, Row 1 (A1-A20) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

OMAyA (One Millimeter Array for Astronomy) is a 1-millimeter wavelength heterodyne focal-plane array that will be installed on the Large Millimeter Telescope (LMT). The LMT is a 50-meter diameter millimeter wavelength telescope in Mexico designed to operate between wavelengths of 0.85 and 4 millimeters. OMAyA, capable of dual polarization and sideband separation, is being created with the intent to be able to characterize the motions, physical conditions, and chemical state of the interstellar medium. My job was to design two subsystems for the OMAyA cryostat, which both contain delicate electrical components. These enclosures will act as a Faraday cage to reduce excess noise from the surroundings. The first subsystem is an enclosure that holds 4 printed circuit boards (PCB) or bias cards. The cards will connect directly to the cryostat to monitor and control several low-level voltages and currents of superconducting and semi-conducting devices inside the cryostat. The second subsystem is also an enclosure that holds a circuit board and a Raspberry Pi. These components act as a temperature sensor and output the temperature readings from thermocouples inside the cryostat. My research details the mechanical design process, fabrication, assembly, and testing for these two enclosures, highlighting the importance of their creation as well as the different design requirements necessary for proper function. 

Keywords

Heterodyne Receiver, Instrumentation, Radio Astronomy, SolidWorks

Research Area

Astronomy, Cosmology, and Astrophysics

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