Developing a Focal Plane Array at the GBT for 21 cm Astronomy

Abstract

Progress has been made on the design of a 9 receiver array in the 700 to 945 MHz range to replace the single receiver in that frequency range currently in use at the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) in West Virginia. The new array will increase the rate of data collection ~9x in ongoing 21 cm intensity mapping, and it should also be a valuable resource for other users of the GBT. The following paper describes the science of 21 cm intensity mapping and the work that has been done in designing the receiver for the focal plane array.