Beam measurement and calibration of the SKA AAVS0 array at Lord’s Bridge using a UAV system
A team of researchers from the Astrophysics group of Cambridge University, INAF and Politecnico di Torino (Italy) and ASTRON (Netherlands) performed a test campaign at the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory at Lord’s Bridge during the second week of September 2014. The AAVS0 array (Aperture Array Verification System 0) is the very first SKA prototype array with 16 SKALA (SKA Log-periodic Antenna) elements developed at Cambridge University for the SKA LFAA (Low Frequency Aperture Array) instrument. The LFAA instrument of SKA1 will have more than 250,000 elements and will be the most powerful radio telescope of the world at m wavelengths by the time of its completion in the early 20s.
The UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) system developed by the researchers at INAF and the Politecnico di Torino has been used to transmit a constant wave signal which is then received by the AAVS0 array. This has been used to measure the beams of embedded elements as well as beam formed patterns of the 16 element array. This has helped to confirm the electromagnetic simulations of the array which are used for the design of the instrument. Furthermore, the UAV measurement system has been used to very calibration strategies to correct the array beam.
