Central Development Laboratory (CDL)

NRAO Technology Center (NTC)

Central Development Laboratory (CDL)

NTCDetection of the radio waves emitted by astronomical objects demands technology and signal processing that push the state-of-the-art. The scientists and engineers at the NRAO Technology Center (NTC) in Charlottesville, Virginia perform much of the innovative research and development that yields the necessary instrumentation and processing advances.

NTC GBT ReceiverTechnical innovations developed or enhanced for radio astronomy have contributed to improvements in communications antennas, transistors, cryogenic coolers, medical and scientific imaging, time and frequency standards, atomic clocks, and GPS navigation, 911 emergency call location, and precision spacecraft navigation. NRAO technology increases our understanding of the Universe and contributes to American competitiveness.

Radio telescope receivers almost universally use electronics known as HFET (heterostructure field-effect transistor) amplifiers. The NTC has pioneered HFET development and is largely responsible for their high performance. NTC amplifiers, e.g., were crucial to the success of the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) satellite that accurately measured the Big Bang's remnant signal.

Digital auto- and cross-correlators are the heart of digital data processing for radio telescopes, and the NTC is a world leader in their development and construction. NTC personnel are now building the ALMA correlator, the world's fastest supercomputer, capable of 17,000,000,000,000,000 calculations per second!

Superconductor-Insulator-Superconductor (SIS) tunneling junctions are the foundations of many sensitive radio astronomy receivers. Working with the Microelectronics Fabrication Laboratory at the University of Virginia, the NTC has developed a reliable junction fabrication process that can be used in many different superconducting electronic circuits. NTC research has led to SIS mixer designs that are broadband, require no mechanical tuning, and achieve record performance.

Connect with NRAO

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory and Green Bank Observatory are facilities of the U.S. National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.

Founded in 1956, the NRAO provides state-of-the-art radio telescope facilities for use by the international scientific community. NRAO telescopes are open to all astronomers regardless of institutional or national affiliation. Observing time on NRAO telescopes is available on a competitive basis to qualified scientists after evaluation of research proposals on the basis of scientific merit, the capability of the instruments to do the work, and the availability of the telescope during the requested time. NRAO also provides both formal and informal programs in education and public outreach for teachers, students, the general public, and the media.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense..."

AUI collaborates with the scientific community and research sponsors to plan, build, and operate cutting-edge facilities. We cultivate excellence, deliver value, enhance education, and engage the public.