New-generation data acquisition and control system for continuum radio-astronomic observations with RATAN-600 radio telescope: Development, observations, and measurements

A new Data Acquisition and Control System for performing continuum radio-astronomical observations with the RATAN-600 radio telescope is presented. One of the “building blocks” of the system is the Embedded Radiometric Data Acquisition System (ER-DAS) developed at the RATAN-600. It is a measurement facility meant for digitizing and reducing radiometer signals and for transmitting the result of these operations via Ethernet networks. ER-DAS system is shown to have a low self-noise level and to lack 1/f-type noise. The measurement facility is shown to operate efficiently in radio-astronomical observations. Radiometric measurements of the parameters of high-sensitivity radiometers are illustrated in the case of the measurements of radiometer gain fluctuations.