MRI: Development of a Cooled Sapphire Oscillator Frequency Standard for VLBI

Northeast Radio Observatory Corp, Westford MA

Investigators

Abstract

This project is for the development and construction of a stable, cooled sapphire oscillator that will allow improvements in millimeter wave Very Long Baseline Interferometry by providing an improved frequency reference. Enabling Very Long Baseline Interferometry at higher frequencies would provide for greater angular resolution, which in turn would provide for observations of unprecedented detail of various important science targets, including the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. The technology can be deployed at worldwide sites used for Very Long Baseline Interferometry, and could be deployed at future large millimeter wave telescopes, including the Atacama Large Millimeter Array.