The thirty gigahertz instrument receiver for the Q-U-I Joint Tenerife experiment: Concept and experimental results

et al.This paper presents the analysis, design, and characterization of the thirty gigahertz instrument receiver developed for the Q-U-I Joint Tenerife experiment. The receiver is aimed to obtain polarization data of the cosmic microwave background radiation from the sky, obtaining the Q, U, and I Stokes parameters of the incoming signal simultaneously. A comprehensive analysis of the theory behind the proposed receiver is presented for a linearly polarized input signal, and the functionality tests have demonstrated adequate results in terms of Stokes parameters, which validate the concept of the receiver based on electronic phase switching.The authors would like to thank Spanish Ministry for Economy and Competitiveness for the financial support provided under the CONSOLIDER-INGENIO 2010 programme under Reference No. CSD2010-00064.Peer Reviewe