X-band Phased-Array Spaced-Antenna Interferometry for Cross-Beam Wind Estimation by Mobile Doppler Radar

多普勒雷达对天气回波信号的标准处理通常会获取“径向”风分量的信息，即朝向或远离雷达天线的那部分风速。虽然这些信息已被证明是非常有价值的，特别是在跟踪恶劣天气时，但对各个方向的水平风的完整描述（与雷达视角无关）通常仅限于两台多普勒雷达有目的地协调并采样相同风暴量的情况。基于“间隔天线”（SA）技术的雷达天线设计的新进展可能允许用单个多普勒雷达测量整个二维水平风场。这项工作利用了由美国国家科学基金会资助的协同自适应大气传感工程研究中心（CASA）开发的相控阵雷达技术的先前研究。本研究的智力价值在于将空间天线技术应用于新制作的线性相控阵雷达发射机面板。这项工作的具体目标是：(1)分析和开发配置x波段雷达波长固态相控阵的技术，通过SA技术获得跨波束风估计，并分析相关的不确定性；(2)实现x波段相控阵间隔天线设计；(3)通过与同时双多普勒和/或多普勒波束摇摆技术的比较，进行验证研究，评估SA风测量结果。(4)与俄克拉何马大学气象学院和其他nsf支持的从事VORTEX2项目的研究人员合作，分析现有的X-Pol和w波段移动雷达对2009年和2010年强雷暴的观测结果。这项工作的更广泛影响包括教育和培训工程研究生，这些研究生将参与SA技术的设计和测试，并将与其他研究领域的知名科学家合作。本科生也将参与CASA的本科生研究经验（REU）计划，移动雷达技术的演示将作为K-12的推广工具。这项技术的成功应用可以显著提高未来雷达网络的能力，从而有助于改善恶劣天气监测和其他气象应用。

Standard processing of weather echo signals by Doppler radars routinely retrieves information on the "radial" wind component, i.e. that portion of the wind velocity directed toward or away from the radar antenna. While this information has proven quite valuable, especially in tracking severe weather, a full description of the horizontal wind in all directions (independent of radar viewing angle) has generally been restricted to situations where two Doppler radars are purposefully coordinated and sampling the same storm volume. New advances in radar antenna design based on "spaced antenna" (SA) techniques may allow measurement of the full two-dimensional horizontal wind field by a single Doppler radar. This work leverages previous research on phased array radar technology developed under the NSF-sponsored Engineering Research Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA).The intellectual merit of this effort rests in application of the spaced-antenna technique to a newly fabricated linear phased-array radar transmitter panel. Specific objectives of this work are to (1) analyze and develop techniques to configure X-band radar wavelength solid-state phased-arrays to obtain cross-beam wind estimates via SA techniques, and analysis of associated uncertainties, (2) implement an X-band phased-array spaced-antenna design, (3) perform validation studies to evaluate SA wind measurements by comparison with simultaneous dual-Doppler and/or Doppler beam-swinging techniques, and (4) collaboration with the University of Oklahoma School of Meteorology and other NSF-supported investigators working on the VORTEX2 project in analysis of observations from existing X-Pol and W-band mobile radar observations of severe thunderstorms from both 2009 and 2010.Broader impacts of this effort include the education and training of engineering graduate students who will be involved in the design and testing of SA technology, and who will collaborate with established scientists in other fields of research. Undergraduate students will also be involved through CASA's Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, and demonstrations of mobile radar technology will be used as a K-12 outreach tool. Successful application of this technique could represent a significant enhancement of future radar network capabilities, thus serving to improve severe weather monitoring and other meteorological applications.