Receiver design for the REACH global 21-cm signal experiment

Abstract

We detail the REACH radiometric system designed to enable measurements of the 21-cm neutral hydrogen line. Included is the radiometer architecture and end-to-end system simulations as well as a discussion of the challenges intrinsic to highly-calibratable system development. Following this, we share laboratory results based on the calculation of noise wave parameters utilising an over-constrained least squares approach. For five hours of integration on a custom-made source with comparable impedance to that of the antenna used in the field, we demonstrate a calibration RMSE of 80 mK. This paper therefore documents the state of the calibrator and data analysis in December 2022 in Cambridge before shipping to South Africa.