2 GHz bandwidth acousto-optic spectrometer for radioastronomy spectroscopy applications

We describe the design features utilized in an acousto optic spectrometer (AOS) that provides it with the stability needed to compete favorably with more conventional filter bank spectrometers. Specific attention is given to the design of the key optoelectronic elements including the thermally stabilized single mode semiconductor laser diode light source, the polarization switching Bragg cell, photodetector array and optics, as well as the design of the system control and data acquisition. The performance of this AOS for specific radio astronomy spectroscopy applications is also described