X-Band Dual-Polarization Phased Array: Calibration and Performance

X 波段双偏振相控阵：校准和性能

• 批准号: 1318148
• 负责人: Stephen Frasier
• 金额: $ 54.81万
• 依托单位: University of Massachusetts Amherst
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-06-01 至 2017-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1318148&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Band; Dual; Polarization; Phased; Array

The advent of phased array technology for meteorological applications has been realized recently with the development of research platforms such as the National Weather Radar Testbed and mobile Doppler phased array radars for rapid scanning such as the Rapid-DOW, MWR-05XP, and Atmospheric Imaging Radar. With these and initiatives such as the Multi-mission Phased Array Radar and the Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA), there is growing interest in the potential for use of phased array radars in weather surveillance and measurement. However, because the operational weather radar networks in the U.S. are now adopting dual polarization, it is anticipated that it will be necessary for future phased-array systems to support polarimetry for improved hydrometeor identification and rainfall estimation, with the same fidelity as is possible with today's reflector antennas.The Microwave Remote Sensing Laboratory in collaboration with the CASA Engineering Research Center, has recently developed a mobile, dual-polarization, solid-state, X-band active phased-array weather radar. With this award, experiments will be performed with this active phased-array radar to study its polarization performance, calibration and stability, biases, and other uncertainties particular to phased-array weather radar antennas. This array will be used in specific deployments and experiments of opportunity to gain experience in the practicalities of phased-array radar polarimetry.A combination of calibration experiments will be performed locally as well as deployments to the Great Plains. In particular, the radar will be deployed during two successive spring seasons to the Dallas/Fort Worth Urban Testbed, a quasi-operational/research radar network initiated by the CASA Engineering Research Center and primarily sponsored by the North Texas Council of Governments. Here, the phased-array radar will observe severe weather in tandem with other similarly sized, X-band, mechanically scanned dual-polarization radars. The intellectual merit of the research is experimental investigation of the impacts of polarization imperfections and projection errors and their compensation with a real dual-polarization phased-array radar, as well as characterization of the beam quality (sidelobes, precise matching of H- and V-polarized beams, cross-polarization) with a low-cost phased array. The performance will be benchmarked both via calibration targets and observations of weather with companion mechanically scanned antennas. The broader impacts of the research are improved understanding of the kinematics and dynamics of severe storms and their formation, ultimately leading to improved predictions of severe weather events. The incorporation of new technologies in weather observation will also inform users' interpretations and expectations of radar measurements for these purposes. In addition, the project includes strong involvement of graduate students from UMass working with investigators and users of the DFW Testbed. The phased-array radar will also serve as a teaching tool at UMass and at U. of Texas Arlington during deployments.

最近，随着国家气象雷达试验台和用于快速扫描的移动的多普勒相控阵雷达（如Rapid-DOW、MWR-05 XP和大气成像雷达）等研究平台的发展，相控阵技术在气象应用中的出现已经实现。有了这些以及诸如多任务相控阵雷达和大气协作自适应传感中心（CASA）等倡议，人们对相控阵雷达在天气监视和测量中的应用潜力越来越感兴趣。然而，由于美国的天气雷达网络现在采用双极化，预计未来的相控阵系统将有必要支持极化测量，以改进水凝物识别和降雨估计，并具有与今天的反射器天线相同的保真度。微波遥感实验室与CASA工程研究中心合作，研制了移动的、双极化、固态、X波段有源相控阵天气雷达。有了这个奖项，将与这种有源相控阵雷达进行实验，以研究其极化性能，校准和稳定性，偏差，以及其他不确定性，特别是相控阵天气雷达天线。该阵列将用于特定的部署和机会实验，以获得相控阵雷达极化测量实用性方面的经验。将在当地和大平原部署进行校准实验。特别是，该雷达将在连续两个春季部署到达拉斯/沃斯堡城市试验台，这是一个由CASA工程研究中心发起的准操作/研究雷达网络，主要由北德克萨斯州政府理事会赞助。在这里，相控阵雷达将与其他类似尺寸的X波段机械扫描双极化雷达一起观测恶劣天气。该研究的智力价值是实验调查极化缺陷和投影误差的影响及其补偿与一个真实的双极化相控阵雷达，以及波束质量的表征（旁瓣，H和V极化波束的精确匹配，交叉极化）与一个低成本的相控阵。性能将通过校准目标和伴随机械扫描天线的天气观测进行基准测试。 该研究的更广泛影响是提高了对严重风暴及其形成的运动学和动力学的理解，最终导致改善对恶劣天气事件的预测。在天气观测中采用新技术，也将使用户对雷达测量结果的解释和期望有所了解。此外，该项目还包括来自马萨诸塞大学的研究生与DFW试验台的调查人员和用户的密切合作。相控阵雷达也将作为麻省大学和美国大学的教学工具。德克萨斯州阿灵顿部署期间。