In-Situ Verification of Aperture-Array Polarimetric Performance by Means of a Micro UAV: Preliminary Results on the LOFAR Low Band Antenna

摘要

In order to assess the polarimetric performance of phased arrays for radio astronomy, the Intrinsic Crosspolarization Ratio (IXR) can be adopted as a figure of merit. An innovative technique employing an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to measure the IXR of low-frequency instruments (VHF/UHF bands) has been recently exploited on a station of the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) radio telescope. We present results from a spin flight measurement demonstrating 35 dB IXR in boresight, a value close to the performance limits of the current measurement system.