Modeling and optimization of the antenna system with focal plane array for the new generation radio telescopes with wide field of view

Abstract

The model of the reflector antenna system with focal plane array, low-noise amplifier and beamformer is developed in the work. The beamformer strategy is suggested to reduce the receiving sensitivity ripple inside field of view of the telescope, while the sensitivity itself drops slightly (less than 10%). The system APERTIF (which is currently under development in Netherlands Institute For Radioastronomy, ASTRON) has been analyzed using developed model, and numerical results are presented. The obtained numerical results have been verified experimentally in anechoic chamber as well as on one of the dishes of the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (all measurements have been done in ASTRON).