Radioholography method of electromagnetic near field control of parabolic reflector antenna profile

In the process of manufacturing of radio telescopes and collimators a serious attention should be paid to the quality of the reflecting surface of large aperture reflector antennas, which must meet strict requirements. The complexity of the reflectors’ control and alignment results from the conflicting requirements of high-quality measurement accuracy (of tens of microns) for large sizes. The paper presents a radioholography method of measuring the surface profile of parabolic reflector antennas by the near-field with a planar scanner in the Cartesian coordinate system. A detailed mathematical description of the developed method is given: an algorithm for calculating the irregularities of the reflector is derived; the resolution of the measuring system is determined. A simulation of the developed method is performed. This method allows investigating large aperture stationary reflector antennas using a planar scanner; its dimensions are smaller than the aperture of the observed antenna.

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