Phased Array Antennas for Radio Astronomy

Karl F. Warnick
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
Collaborators:
Brian D. Jeffs, Jonathan Landon, Michael Elmer, David Carter, Taylor Webb,
Vikas Asthana, Brigham Young University
J. Richard Fisher, Roger Norrod, and Anish Roshi, National Radio Astronomy
Observatory, Green Bank, West Virginia, USA
German Cortes, Cornell University National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center
(NAIC), Arecibo Observatory
Bert Woestenburg, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, The Netherlands
Leo Belostotski, University of Calgary, Canada
Marianna Ivashina and Rob Maaskant, Chalmers University of Technology,
Sweden
Peter Russer, Technische Universitt Mnchen, Germany
January 2013

Outline

BYU
Radio Astronomy Systems
Research Group

Introduction to radio astronomy

Technology timeline for radio astronomy instruments
Basics of astronomical observations

Research challenges for astronomical phased array

antennas
Modeling and design of high sensitivity active phased array
receivers
Correlation matrices and microwave network theory
Why designing high-performance active arrays is more complicated
than designing single-port antennas
New IEEE standard antenna terms for array receivers
Active impedance matching

Experimental campaigns and results

Other applications

Radio Astronomy Systems Research at BYU

Faculty Directors: Karl F. Warnick, Brian Jeffs
High Impact Research Contributions

Major experiments at national radio observatories

International recognition for work in array feeds

Organizers of two journal special issues

Significant international collaboration

Grad & ugrad

students test
their array
feed at NRAO

Netherlands, Germany, Canada, Australia, Germany

$3M+ in external (NSF) funding

Graduate Student Research

Students mentored by faculty and scientists

Excellent placement of MS grads into

Ph.D. programs (MIT, Stanford, BYU)

Student-directed experimental research

Undergraduate Mentoring

Supported by NSF REU

Mentored by graduate researchers and faculty

Engaged in instrumentation senior projects

(left) Installing the

array on the 20m dish
(right) Array image of
Cygnus radio sources

BYU Phased Array

Feed on Arecibo
Telescope

BYU
Radio Astronomy Systems
Research Group

Special Issue of IEEE Transactions on Antennas

and Propagation on Astronomical Receivers

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Radio Astronomy Systems
Research Group

January 1961: The first-ever special issue in the IRE Transactions was on Radio Astronomy. From the
special issue editorial: Antenna and feed characteristics in radio astronomy represent the limits of
progress in radio optics at any time...[and] have provided to all radio science and technology a wellspring
of fundamental knowledge that is applicable in almost every advanced endeavor... [L. Berkner, IRE
President, 1961]
June 2011: 50th anniversary special issue on radio astronomy: Antennas for Next Generation Radio
Telescopes, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, June 2011, guest editors Karl F. Warnick
(BYU), Marianna Ivashina (Astron), and Stuart Hay (CSIRO)

Radio Astronomy

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Pulsars
Cosmic jets
Gravitational lenses
Galactic center
Black holes
Astrochemistry
Age of the universe
Cosmology
Dark matter, dark energy

Images courtesy of NRAO/AUI

BYU

Single-Pixel Reflector Antennas

Radio Astronomy Systems

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Green Bank Telescope (GBT)

http://www.astro.virginia.edu/whyastro/gbt+140.jpg

Arecibo (Puerto Rico)

http://www.icc.dur.ac.uk/~tt/Lectures/Galaxies/Images/Radio/Arecibo.jpg

500 Meter Telescope (FAST) China

Under construction

Aperture Synthesis Arrays (Very Sparse)

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Very Large Array (VLA), Socorro, NM

Image courtesy of NRAO/AUI

Very Long Baseline Interferometer (VLBI)

Other arrays:

Atacama Large mm-Wave Array (ALMA)

Image courtesy of NRAO/AUI

Westerbork The Netherlands

PAPER Array Green Bank W.V
LOFAR Northern Europe
LWA Southwestern U.S.
ATA Berkeley
Etc

Multiple Pixel Feeds

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One feed per beam

Each feed matched to reflector
Sparse array
Focal plane/field of view not
fully sampled

Arecibo L-band feed array (ALFA)

Parkes multibeam feed

http://physics.gmu.edu/~lhorne/ALFA1.jpg

Image courtesy of Parkes Observatory, ATNF / CSIRO

BYU

Square Kilometer Array (SKA)

Radio Astronomy Systems

Research Group

To be built by international community over next decade

Recent siting decision (2012): Western Australia and South Africa

Pathfinder projects currently underway

Thousands of elements
Dense array core
Sparse elements over
thousands of kilometers
Expected cost $1.5 billion

Images courtesy of Neil Roddis, SKA PDO

Types of Dense Phased Arrays

Aperture arrays - direct view to sky
LOFAR Low frequency array, Northern Europe
LEDA, PAPER, others
SKA core
Phased array feeds (PAFs)
Large reflectors GBT, Arecibo,
Westerbork
Small reflectors SKA

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Trend is towards arrays of increasing density

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Last 75 years: Single-pixel large dish antennas

Last 50 years: Sparse aperture synthesis arrays
Last 5 years: Multi-pixel cluster feeds (moderately sparse)
Present: Dense aperture phased arrays and phased array feeds

http://www.astro.virginia.edu/whyastro/gbt+140.jpg

Images courtesy of Neil Roddis, SKA PDO

Phased Array Feeds

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Radio Astronomy Systems
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Replace standard single pixel horn reflector feed with a phased array
Advantages of phased array feeds:
Primary driver: Increased field of view
Rapid astronomical sky surveys
Multiple electronically formed beams
High sensitivity, efficiency
Beam pattern optimization
Adaptive interference mitigation

Phased Array Feed Development Efforts

Apertif (Astron, The Netherlands)

PHAD (DRAO, Canada)

ASKAP (CSIRO, Australia)

BYU/NRAO L-band PAF for Green Bank Telescope (U.S.)

Cornell L-band PAF for Arecibo (BYU signal processing back

end)

PAF for China 500 m FAST Telescope (BYU/NAOC

Collaboration)

mm-wave array feed for GBT (UMASS/BYU Collaboration)

Credit: Tony Willis, NRC - CNRC

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Radio Astronomy Systems
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Credit: German Cortez, Cornell CRSR

Credit: David McClenaghan, CSIRO

Design Challenges for Phased Arrays Feeds

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Broadband
Near term: 300 to 500 MHz bandwidth at L-band, >2:1 long term

High sensitivity
Astronomical signals have very low SNR (-30 to -50 dB)
80% aperture efficiency, >99% radiation efficiency
System temperature below 30 Kelvin at L-band

Stable gain (radiometric detection)

High dynamic range (weak signals near bright sources)
Stable, well characterized sidelobes
The competition:
High polarimetric accuracy
L-band single pixel feed
Immunity to radio frequency interference (RFI)
Massively high data rates for back end real time digital signal processing
(spectrometer, beamformer, correlator)

Ultra-high performance requirements for astronomical observations has created

a new field of research in phased array antenna technology

Heritage of the BYU/NRAO PAF Design

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90s: R. Fishers array of sinuous elements

Complex impedance behavior, poor matching

2000s: Goal was to move to the opposite extreme: a simple,

well-modeled, low-loss design
Dipole array effort began in 2005 thin dipoles
Emphasis on low noise above all else
2009 Fat dipole effort to improve bandwidth and matching

2010 Dual pol dipole (dual feed ports design is

challenging)
2012 Dipole element for cryogenic PAF

BYU

Phased Array Projects at BYU

Radio Astronomy Systems

Research Group

PAFs:
19 element low loss, high effficiency active impedance matched array
19 x 2 element dual-polarized array
Cryogenic 19 x 2 elements (BYU), dewar (R. Norrod, NRAO), LNAs (S. Weinreb,
Caltech), back end (BYU, NRAO)

Signal processing
Multichannel downconverter boards
40 channel narrowband data acquisition system
64 channel FPGA-based 50 Msample/sec real time spectrometer/correlator/beamformer

Algorithms
Controlled beam shape, RFI mitigation, polarimetric calibration

Arecibo PAF feasibility study (G. Cortes)

Focal L-band Array for Green Bank Telescope (FLAG)
mm-wave array feed for GBT (UMASS, BYU)
Arecibo Observatory
National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center
Cornell University

National Radio Astronomy

Observatory

Overview of a PAF Receiver System

Front end (analog)
Antenna elements (19 elements to hundreds of elements)
Low noise amplifiers (ambient temp. or cryogenic)
Receiver chains (downconverters, filters, amplifiers)
LO distribution network
Signal transport

Back end (digital)

Digitizers, antialiasing filters
RFI shielding
Calibration and algorithms for beamformer weights (PC)
Real time beamformer (B engine), correlator (X engine), and/or
spectrometer (F engine)
Interface to telescope control system,
Management and control

Post-processing
Image formation, mosaicing, RFI flagging, etc.
Data archiving

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BYU

Radiometric Detection

Radio Astronomy Systems

Research Group

Output power with antenna pointing at

source of interest (one pixel in raster scan):
Output power with antenna steered
away from the source of interest:

On source

Off source

Noise power
estimation error:
Reducing system noise is critical!

Phased Array Feed Beamforming

Horn feed is electrically large
and collects nearly all focused
signal energy
Feed elements are small, and
signal is collected by multiple
elements
Airy spot moves across the
feed for steered beams
Beam steering to first order is
accomplished by changing
amplitudes of element output
weighting coefficients
Power loss for widely steered
beams with focal spot near the
edge of the array leads to
efficiency reduction 1%
sensitivity drop defines field of
view
Sensitivity is a function of
beam steering direction and
fluctuates across the array
FoV

Central Airy Disk (Focal Spot)

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Second Airy Ring

Phased Array Feed Antenna Design Goals

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Radio Astronomy Systems
Research Group

Phased array with 19+ elements for wide field of view - many
formed beams and multiple pixels
Dual polarized
Integrated balun to allow for single-ended LNAs
Ground plane backed
Bandwidth: 300 MHz at 1.5 GHz (1 dB sensitivity)
High efficiency:
Radiation efficiency >99% (very low ohmic/dielectric losses)
Aperture efficiency >70%
Spillover efficiency >95%

High sensitivity (A/T) over the array field of view

Research Questions
How should antenna gain and other figures of merit be
defined for an active phased array?
What impedance should array elements be designed for
to maximize SNR?
How does mutual coupling affect antenna performance?
What is the best achievable efficiency with a phased
array?
Can phased arrays be as sensitive as a state-of-the-art
horn antenna with liquid helium-cooled electronics?
How can computational electromagnetics tools be
combined with microwave network system models to
optimize an entire system including a phased array
antenna elements, receiver electronics, and signal
processing?

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Radio Astronomy Systems
Research Group

BYU

Design Process

Radio Astronomy Systems

Research Group

PAF front end

Array Element
Geometry and
Configuration

EM Model

Reflector Model

Sensitivity, Field of
View, Bandwidth,
Survey Speed

Beamforming
Algorithm

Network Model

BYU

Phased Array Feed System Model

Reflector

Physical
Optics

Array Feed

Full wave
EM simulation

LNAs

Network Theory

Radio Astronomy Systems

Research Group

Receiver Chains
(Downconversion,
basebanding,
sampling)

Signal, noise
correlation
matrices

Digital
Beamforming

Array Signal
Processing

How is a phased array characterized

electromagnetically?
Thevenin equivalent source network:
Embedded open circuit loaded received voltage patterns:
Mutual impedance matrix:
(Scattering parameters also needed to fully characterize array)

Array

Reflector

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Radio Astronomy Systems
Research Group

Receive voltages in terms of transmit patterns

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Radio Astronomy Systems
Research Group

Array antennas are typically modeled as transmitters

Using the electromagnetic reciprocity principle, the open
circuit loaded voltages at the receive array terminals are:
Scale factor

Incident Field

Embedded radiation field pattern with current I0 into

the nth array element and all other elements open
circuit loaded, evaluated in the direction of arrival
of the incident field.
For array feeds, the embedded pattern includes
reflector scattering.
A. T. De Hoop, The N-port receiving antenna and its equivalent electrical network, Phillips Research
Reports, vol. 30, pp. 302-315, 1975.

Receive Array Network Model

Loaded voltages at array ports:

Array output voltage vector:
(assumes uncoupled receiver chains)

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Radio Astronomy Systems
Research Group

BYU

Array Signal and Noise Model

Array

LNAs

Receivers

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Research Group

Digital Beamforming

Beam output
power:

Array output signal and noise

contributions before beamforming:

Array output correlation matrix:

External thermal
noise

Noise due to
antenna losses

Noise due to
electronics

Array Beamforming

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Radio Astronomy Systems
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Beam output SNR:

Maximum-SNR beamformer:

Rank-one signal case:

(Obtained by pointing the dish at a

bright calibrator source)

Key Figure of Merit Beam Sensitivity

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Radio Astronomy Systems
Research Group

Antenna Figures of Merit for Active Array Receivers

Array

LNAs

Receivers

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Radio Astronomy Systems
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Digital Beamforming

This general architecture

includes:
Active arrays
Beamforming arrays
Digital arrays
MIMO eigenchannel
MRI coil array
etc.

What is the gain of this active array?

aperture efficiency?
radiation efficiency?
system noise temperature?
Surprisingly, under the current IEEE Standard for Antenna Terms, none of these
figures of merits are well defined for this antenna!

BYU

Array Figures of Merit

Radio Astronomy Systems

Research Group

Active array receivers include amplifiers, are nonreciprocal, and may include
digital signal processing
Some traditional antenna parameters cannot be used directly
Directivity is ok its a function purely of the pattern shape
Can be measured for any black box receiver that has an identifiable output signal for a
wave arriving from a given direction

Gain and aperture efficiency are not well defined for active arrays
Does an active array receiver with integrated signal amplification even have a
radiation efficiency?
With multiple array elements, how can the amplifiers and antenna elements be
separated by a reference plane in order to define available signal power?
What about digital arrays? How do we define gain and aperture efficiency when the
output signal is a voltage waveform created using digital signal processing from
samples of array outputs?

Directivity
Gain? Radiation efficiency?
Available power? Effective area?
Antenna temperature?

BYU

Active Receiving Arrays

Array

LNAs

Receivers

Radio Astronomy Systems

Research Group

Digital Beamforming

Available power is required to define aperture efficiency and gain

The reference plane between array and electronics is multiport how to define available power at array
ports?
The available power at the beam output includes amplifier gain, conversion loss, digital scale factors, etc.
Scaling is essentially arbitrary
How to normalize the beam output power in a meaningful way?

Existing Active Array Figures of Merit

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Receiving pattern directivity

Solid-beam efficiency: ratio of the power received over a specified solid
angle when illuminated isotropically by uncorrelated and unpolarized
waves to the total received power (rarely used)
Embedded element efficiency: measures the efficiency of a radiating
element in a large array (long used in the classical array antenna
literature)
Array gain or SNR gain: ratio of array output SNR to SNR of a single
sensor (commonly used by array signal processing community)
Array efficiency: array gain divided by standard directivity [Jacobs,
1985] (important but obscure paper, cited only twice in Google scholar)

Solution

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Radio Astronomy Systems
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Array gain is equal to directivity for an active array with lossless elements if the
reference sensor is taken to be an isotropic radiator and the external noise
distribution is isotropic [Warnick & Jeffs, 2006]
This suggested a fundamental connection between figures of merit used in the
antenna community and array gain, used by the signal processing community
Basic principle: for a reciprocal antenna, the integral used to obtain total radiated
power is essentially the same integral that gives the external noise power
received from an isotropic noise distribution
Since that realization, all key antenna terms have been extended to active
receivers, including digital arrays, integrated amplifiers, nonreciprocal antennas,
etc. anything with an identifiable output port! [Warnick, Ivashina, Maaskant,
Woestenburg, 2009, AP-S Antenna Standards Working Group, 2011]

Total Radiated Power Received Isotropic Noise Power

New Antenna Terms

Fundamental Noise Theorem of Array Receivers

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Radio Astronomy Systems
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By conservation of energy:
Embedded element pattern overlap integral matrix
Part of array mutual resistance matrix due to antenna losses
Real part of array mutual impedance matrix
Twisss theorem:

Isotropic noise
response

External noise
contribution

Loss noise
contribution

Array noise response:

Relates array radiation properties (element patterns) and loss part of mutual impedance matrix to
the array noise response

New IEEE Standard Antenna Terms for Active

Arrays

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Radio Astronomy Systems
Research Group

isotropic noise response. For a receiving active array antenna, the noise power at the output of a formed beam with a noiseless receiver
when in an environment with brightness temperature distribution that is independent of direction and in thermal equilibrium with the antenna.
active antenna available gain. For a receiving active array antenna, the ratio of the isotropic noise response to the available power at the
New terms:
terminals of any passive antenna over the same bandwidth and in the same isotropic noise environment.

Isotropic noise response

active antenna available power. For a receiving active array antenna, the power at the output of a formed beam divided by the active antenna
available gain.
Active antenna available gain

Activenoise
antenna
available
power
2.251 noise temperature of an antenna. The temperature of a resistor having an available thermal
power per
unit bandwidth
equal to
that at the antenna output at a specified frequency.
Receiving efficiency
NOTES
Noise matching efficiency
1Noise temperature of an antenna depends on its coupling to all noise sources in its environment, as well as noise generated within the
antenna.
Updated terms:
2For an active antenna, the temperature of an isotropic thermal noise environment such that the isotropic noise response is equal to the noise
Noise temperature of an antenna
power at the antenna output per unit bandwidth at a specified frequency.
Effective area

2.115 effective area (of an antenna) (in a given direction). In a given direction, the ratio of the available power at the terminals of a receiving
antenna to the power flux density of a plane wave incident on the antenna from that direction, the wave being polarization matched to the
antenna. See: polarization match.
NOTES
1If the direction is not specified, the direction of maximum radiation intensity is implied.
2The effective area of an antenna in a given direction is equal to the square of the operating wavelength times its gain in that direction divided
by 4pi.
3 For an active antenna, available power is the active antenna available power.
Receiving efficiency. For a receiving active array antenna, the ratio of the isotropic noise response with noiseless antenna to the isotropic
noise response, per unit bandwidth and at a specified frequency.
NOTEEquivalent to radiation efficiency for a passive, reciprocal antenna.
Noise matching efficiency. For a receiving active array antenna, the ratio of the noise power contributed by receiver electronics at the output
of a formed beam, with receivers impedance matched to the array elements for minimum noise, to the actual receiver electronics noise power at
the formed beam output, per unit bandwidth and at a specified frequency.
(K. F. Warnick, M. V. Ivashina, R. Maaskant, B. Woestenburg, Unified Definitions of Efficiencies and System Noise Temperature for Receiving Antenna Arrays, IEEE Antennas and
Wireless Propagation Letters, 2009)

Isotropic Noise Response

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Radio Astronomy Systems
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The isotropic noise response of any antenna is the output noise power with the
array immersed in a noise environment with angle-independent brightness
temperature
The array is in thermal equilibrium with the environment
External noise and loss noise contributions only (does not include electronics
noise)
All powers are assumed to be over a specified system noise equivalent
bandwidth B

Active Antenna Available Gain

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Radio Astronomy Systems
Research Group

Ratio of the isotropic noise response of the antenna under test to the isotropic
noise response of a single-port passive antenna
Includes all electronic amplification, receiver conversion loss, and digital scale
factors

Effective Area

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Radio Astronomy Systems
Research Group

When internal gain is normalized out properly, an active array antenna

has a meaningful effective receiving area
Ratio of active array available signal power to the incident signal flux
density
Defined as a note under the existing definition of effective area

Noise Temperature of an Antenna

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Radio Astronomy Systems
Research Group

An equivalent antenna temperature can be defined for any output power

contribution
Total system noise
External noise, spillover noise, sky noise
Receiver noise
Loss noise

Can be interpreted as the temperature of an isotropic external noise distribution

such that the resulting output thermal noise power at the antenna port is equal to
the output power term in question
i.e., power referred to a perfect sky, analogous to referring power in a network to
equivalent power at the source
Allows a complex active array to have a well-defined noise figure

Noise Matching Efficiency

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Radio Astronomy Systems
Research Group

For active arrays, the effect of receiver electronics (LNAs, etc.) on SNR is
harder to untangle from other effects than for a single-port antenna
Numerator is the equivalent receiver noise temperature
Denominator is the minimum receiver noise temperature that results
when receivers are ideally noise matched to the array
Measures the quality of the impedance match between array elements
and receiver electronics
Includes the effect of mismatch on signal coupling from the array output
ports to receiver input ports and on amplifier noise figures
A new efficiency figure of merit for active arrays

Matched to active impedances

for minimum noise

Receiving Efficiency

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Radio Astronomy Systems
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Radiation and receiving efficiency:

Transmitting antenna has a radiation efficiency (classical term)
Receiving antenna has a receiving efficiency (new term)

Ratio of external noise power from an isotropic noise distribution to the sum of
external noise and loss noise
Measures the noise added by ohmic, dielectric, and other losses in the antenna
itself with a specific reference for the external noise (isotropic brightness
temperature)
For a passive, reciprocal antenna, receiving efficiency is equal to radiation
efficiency

External noise over sum of

external and loss noise
(Scalar powers taken at beam
output port)

Measurement Techniques

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Radio Astronomy Systems
Research Group

All figures of merit require the isotropic noise response

How can it be measured?
Full receiving pattern measurement: gives external part of isotropic noise
response
Network analyzer: array mutual resistance matrix based on Twisss theorem
Free space Y factor method: gives external part of isotropic noise response

Hot source:
Cold source:

How can we realize a very cold isotropic noise field?

NRAO Green Bank Cold Sky/Warm Absorber

Facility

The sky is quite

cool at microwave
frequencies
Ground shield blocks
thermal radiation from
warm ground

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Radio Astronomy Systems
Research Group

BYU

Classical Noise Matching

Matching Network

Radio Astronomy Systems

Research Group

LNA

Optimal source admittance

When the source admittance is equal to the optimal admittance, there is an optimal
compromise between signal power transfer and amplifier noise minimization, and
SNR at the output is maximized

Active Impedance Matching

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Radio Astronomy Systems
Research Group

For a mutually coupled array antenna, front end low noise amplifiers (LNAs)
see beam-dependent active impedances looking into the array ports
[Woestenburg, 2005]:
Array

LNAs

Receivers

Source impedance determines equivalent receiver

noise (SNR)
Active impedances are related to the way amplifier
forward and reverse noise waves couple through the
array and combine at the beamformer output
Scan angle dependent
Equal to self impedances for an uncoupled array

Array Impedance Matching Strategies

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Research Group

Build elements with isolated impedance 50 (suboptimal)

Add a decoupling network so the impedance matrix is diagonal
(lossy)
Design LNAs so that the optimal source impedance is equal to the
active impedance for one beam (boresight)
Design the array to present matched active impedances to front end
amplifiers and maximize sensitivity (G/T) over field of view
Present active impedances as close as possible to 50 to the LNAs over the
array field of view (low noise)
Maximize aperture efficiency (high gain) and spillover efficiency

BYU

Design Optimization Process

Radio Astronomy Systems

Research Group

Challenges:
Beamformer weights are required to compute efficiency and active impedances, but the weights
are not known until the array it designed
The antenna design optimization couples the full system array, receivers, beamforming algorithm!

Single
Element

Infinite
Array
Unit Cell

7x2
Element
Array

19 x 2
Element
Array

Forward EM
Model

Sensitivity Cost
Function Based
on Full
System model Reflector, LNAs,
Receiver chains,
Beamformer

Mechanical Issues

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Radio Astronomy Systems
Research Group

Manufacturability
Robustness solder joint failure
Copper/gold plating for low loss and environmental
passivation
Difficult to plate inside surfaces

Moisture in coaxial lines

Connectors
Polarization balance
All these need to be factored into the design framework before
optimization

Single-Polarized Array

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Dual-Polarized Array

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Radio Astronomy Systems
Research Group

Passive and Active Return Loss

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Radio Astronomy Systems
Research Group

BYU

Noise Temperature and Sensitivity Figure of Merit

Radio Astronomy Systems

Research Group

Noise Temperature (K)

300
Tlna (Modeled S-parameters)

250

Tsys (Modeled S-parameters)

Tsys/ap (Modeled S-parameters)

200

Tsys/ap (Measured)

150
100
50
0
1

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

Frequency (GHz)

~500 MHz 1 dB Sensitivity Bandwidth

Crygenic PAF (2011)

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Radio Astronomy Systems
Research Group

Finished Dewar

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Radio Astronomy Systems
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Cryogenic PAF Front End

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Radio Astronomy Systems
Research Group

BYU

Measured Receiver Sensitivity

Room Temp PAF

Cryo PAF (May 2011)
Green Bank Telescope
L-band Single Pixel Feed

Radio Astronomy Systems

Research Group

Modeled
Tsys/Efficiency

Measured
Tsys/Efficiency

68 K

87 K

31 K

49.6 K
29 K

World record
sensitivity for a
phased array

BYU

Focal L-Band Array for Green Bank Telescope

(FLAG)

BP
F

Ch. 1

LO

ADC
1 Gsps

ROACH
FPGA

Ch. 4

ADC
1 Gsps

( 40)

(
10)

ADC
1 Gsps

Ant
.

LN
A

BP
F

Ch. 40

ADC
1 Gsps

ROACH
FPGA

LO

Array aperture,
Antenna elements,
LNAs, Cryo system,
Down converters

Signal
Transport:
Optical fiber
and modems

Sample clock
function gen
and distribution

F Engine:
Direct RF sampling, digital down
conversion and FFT

ROACH
FPGA

(
10)

ROACH
FPGA

X Engine:
Correlator/Beamformer,
Spectrometer, Pulsar

(existing)

Rack Mount PC
1 TB SATA
RAID 0
Disk
Array

CX4 copper 10
Gbethernet links

Ant
.

LN
A

Back End (Jansky Lab)

20 port 10Gb Ethernet Switch

Fujitsu XG2000 Series XFP

Front End (GBT)

Radio Astronomy Systems

Research Group

( 10)

Rack Mount PC
1 TB SATA
RAID 0
Disk
Array

Attached PCs:
System control and
data storage
(1/2 existing)

Other Applications of Active Arrays

High-efficiency steered-beam
array feeds for satellite
communications

Magnetic
resonance imaging
(MRI) coil arrays

BYU Medical Imaging

Facility

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Radio Astronomy Systems
Research Group

Near Field MIMO arrays

Conclusions

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Radio Astronomy Systems
Research Group

Significant progress on large-dish phased array feeds around the world

U.S., Europe, China, Canada, Australia
Cryogenic PAFs, experimental campaigns, measured results
New designs in progress

Major open issues

G/T minimization
Back end signal processing
Deploying a science-ready system including front end, signal transport, and back end

Ongoing work:

Polarimetric array (dual polarization)

Phased array feeds for Green Bank Telescope, Arecibo Telescope, China FAST telescope
mm-wave phased array feed for GBT (with UMASS)
Square Kilometer Array (SKA) technology demonstrator instruments
Calibration and beamforming algorithms
RFI mitigation
Signal processing hardware and algorithms
Commercial satcom phased arrays