A branch of astronomy called radio astronomy focuses on the study of celestial objects at radio frequencies. Karl Jansky at Bell Telephone Laboratories reported radiation emanating from the Milky Way in 1933, marking the first time radio waves from an astronomical object had been discovered. A variety of distinct radio emission sources have been discovered through further studies. In addition to stars and galaxies, these also contain completely new kinds of phenomena like radio galaxies, quasars, pulsars, and masers. Radio astronomy was used to make the cosmic microwave background radiation finding, which is viewed as supporting evidence for the Big Bang idea.
Corrugated all-metal 3D-printed horns for the ALMA Band 1 receivers have been successfully created by the NAOJ ALMA Project and Advanced Technology Center (Radio Frequency: 35-50 GHz).
AM, which creates three-dimensional objects by depositing, connecting, and solidifying materials based on 3D models fed to a control computer, has been the subject of research by the NAOJ ALMA Project and the Advanced Technology Center since about 2015. There is potential for effective usage of additive manufacturing because astronomy receivers frequently only have one or two devices of each type per instrument and thus need special custom-made components.
The ALMA Band 1 receiver was being prototyped at the time of the original study, so we chose several parts for it and consulted the distributor. Based on the results of this first investigation, we set up a metal 3D printer at the Advanced Technology Center in 2019 and began producing corrugated horns for ALMA.
The ALMA Band 1 receiver was being prototyped at the time of the original study, so we chose several parts for it and consulted the distributor. Based on the results of this first investigation, we set up a metal 3D printer at the Advanced Technology Center in 2019 and began producing corrugated horns for ALMA.
After being focussed by a massive reflector antenna, electromagnetic waves from heavenly objects are then collected by corrugated horns. The subsequent elements in the signal path, detectors, receive the waves concentrated by the horns. Modern radio astronomy receivers require corrugated horns that not only meet the performance criteria for a corrugated horn, such as antenna beam pattern and frequency characteristics, but also undergo an evaluation of the metal material properties to ensure that the horn will function properly in the environment inside the receiver cartridge (temperatures around -250 degree Celsius & under vacuum conditions).
At Taiwan’s Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics (ASIAA), the best of these 3D-printed horns are being incorporated onto the final ALMA Band-1 receiver production units and tested at extremely low temperatures of about -250 degrees Celsius. The horns comply with ALMA requirements, according to the performance verification findings. The fully-tested receivers will be put in ALMA, making them the first-ever cryogenic receivers for (sub)mm-wave astronomy to use all-metal 3D-printed components.
We appreciate the cooperation on this manufacturing development from the Inter-University Research Institute Corporation High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), and NTT Data XAM Technologies Corporation.
