Course:VANT149/2025/Capstone/Science/Team8

Abstract

Our research explains and illustrates the use of a commercial parabolic antenna to construct a portable, low-cost detection system for receiving 21 cm hydrogen signals from the universe. The system also provides a feasible and economical solution for educators seeking to build their own 21 cm hydrogen line detection setups, which offers a practical tool for teaching galactic structure and radio astronomy. We detail the construction process, signal processing techniques, and performance evaluation of the system. The method section presents the hardware architecture, signal path between major modules, and the data sampling strategy, which provides beginners with a clear foundation to start building their own dish-based systems. The results are consistent with existing studies and reveal a relatively well-defined rotation curve with deviation falling within an acceptable range.

Keywords: Radio astronomy, 21 cm Hydrogen Line, rotation curve, education.

Biographies

Person 1

Peidong is a first-year undergraduate student at University of British Columbia, who is interested in Signal processing and data analysis. He also does well in Physic and Mathematic reasoning. His research illustrates how to build up a parabolic antenna that could be applied to detect 21 cm hydrogen line, intended as a hands-on tool for foundational astronomy education. He is eager to explore fields in Theoretical & Experimental Physics and computational analysis through continued researches and practical experiments.

Person 2

Qinyan Dai is a first-year student in vantage science one at University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on constructing a low-cost, portable system to detect 21 cm hydrogen line emissions using a commercial parabolic antenna. She is personally interested in this topic because of her passion for astronomy and desire to make advanced scientific tools more accessible for education.