Optimising receivers for ground-based millimetre wave radiotelescopes

We present a study of requirements on the sensitivity of millimetre and sub millimetre wave receivers for application in radioastronomy. The study is b ased on the experience of operation of the SIS receivers at the radiotelesc opes of the Institut de Radioastronomie Millimetrique (IRAM) and considers also;the conditions of operation at future radio-astronomical instruments s uch as Large Southern Array (LSA), Millimetre Array (MMA) and Large Millime tre and Submillimetre Array (LMSA). As a compromise between receiver develo pment efforts and system performance, we introduce the criterion of an 'opt imm' receiver noise. (C) Academie des sciences/Elsevier, Paris.