Polarimetrie phased array calibration for large-scale multi-mission radar applications

Abstract

Concepts for multi-mission weather and air traffic surveillance radar systems call for the use of large-scale phased array radar systems to meet practical beam flexibility and timeline requirements. While the individual air surveillance (defense) and air traffic missions have clear paths towards technical success using phased arrays, it has not yet been demonstrated that a large-scale phased array can meet the scientific needs of the dual polarization weather surveillance mission because there are inherent scan-dependent polarization biases in planar phased array radar systems. This paper highlights the challenges and potential technical solutions to the calibration and correction of these biases, summarizing current work towards the ultimate goal of demonstrating these techniques on a real system.