Intermediate Frequency (IF) Processing

The signals measured in Submillimeter Radio Astronomy can only be transported and amplified after a down-conversion to lower frequencies. In the underlying heterodyne mixing process, the original signal is superposed with that emitted by a slightly detuned, local oscillator. This creates a beating at an intermediate frequency (IF) but preserves the spectroscopic characteristics of the original signal (e.g., the width and profile of a spectral line). The obtained signal needs to be transported to the digital spectrometers analyzing the signal further and be adapted to their input parameters (e.g. frequency bandwidth, input power level). The required devices are designed and manufactured in our division.