Design trade-offs in feed systems for ultra-wideband VLBI observations

Due to the advanced capability of today’s ultra-wideband feed systems and low-noise amplifiers, interesting upgrades for future VLBI receiver and tele- scope design should be considered. Multiple input pa- rameters need to be taken into account for optimal sensitivity and applications of the future astronomical and geodetic observational systems. In this paper we present an overview of some trade-offs for wideband systems between SEFD, bandwidth and telescope re- flector optics. We evaluate receiver bandwidths from 3.5:1 to 10.3:1 bandwidth within the frequency range 1.5-24 GHz in different configurations. Due to poten- tial RFI-pollution of the lower frequencies we present potential feed upgrades for the most common reflector geometries ofVGOS and EVN telescopes that mitigate this problem. The results of this work is relevant for fu- ture VLBI stations and telescope design in general. Keywords