Physics Project Abstract
DESIGN OF A NOVEL RADIO TELESCOPE
Presenter:
Sarah K. Curry, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, 1500 West Sullivan Road, Aurora, IL, 60506; scurry@imsa.edu
Mentor:
Dr. Robert Brazzle, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, 1500 Sullivan Road, Excellence 2000, Aurora, IL, 60506; brazzle@imsa.edu
Abstract:
This mentorship will eventually provide the IMSA community with a new resource that will enable them to study the universe from the perspective of radio waves. Currently, students can use optical telescopes to view the individual planets or stars, but nothing on a larger scale. By observing the differences in concentration of atomic hydrogen with the radiotelescope, students will be able to observe the structure of the Milky Way Galaxy, as well as nebulas or dust clouds. This information originates in atoms. Each element emits wavelengths of a different frequency, making it possible to distinguish them. We are interested in researching hydrogen, whose fingerprint marks the radio spectrum at 1.4 GHz. Using a symmetrical dish, the radio waves are focused into a point, which follows a path into a feedhorn. A probe sits at the antinode, a region of maximum amplitude, where the signal creates a current proportional to the intensity of the wave. The wave then travels to a low noise amplifier, where it is amplified. Thus, from atoms in the cosmos, IMSA students will be able to view the universe by looking at the concentration of atomic hydrogen.