Preliminary Analysis of the Effects of the Ground Plane on the Element Patterns of SKA1-Low

Each station of the SKA1-Low radio telescope is composed by 256 dual-polarized log-periodic antennas deployed over a metallic ground plane with 42 m diameter. This station is usually modelled in EM simulators by considering an infinite ground plane, which drastically reduces the computational time. This contribution shows that a finite ground plane can bring to quite significant differences in some embedded element patterns with respect to the infinite ground plane case. Furthermore, we show the impact on the antenna pattern of different dielectric media surrounding the finite ground plane. For instance, at 50 MHz the maximum of the antenna gain decreases by 5% for the terrain with 10% moisture level

A prototype model for evaluating SKA-LOW station calibration

The Square Kilometre Array telescope at low-frequency (SKA-Low) will be a phased array telescope supporting a wide range of science cases covering the frequency band 50 - 350 MHz, while at the same time asking for high sensitivity and excellent characteristics. These extremely challenging requirements resulted in a design using 512 groups of 256 log periodic dual polarized antennas each (where each group is called "station"), for a total of 131072 antennas. The 512 stations are randomly distributed mostly within a dense area around the centre of the SKA-Low, and then in 3 arms having 16 station clusters each. In preparation for the SKA Phase 1 (SKA1) System Critical Design Review (CDR), prototype stations were deployed at the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory (MRO) site (Western Australia) near the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) radio telescope. The project involved multiple parties in an International collaboration building and testing different prototypes of the SKA1-Low station near the actual site. This resulted in both organisational and logistic challenges typical of a deployment of the actual telescope. The test set-up involved a phased build-up of the complex station of log-periodic antennas, by starting from the deployment of 48 antennas and related station signal processing (called AAVS1.5, where AAVS stands for Aperture Array Verification System), followed by expansion to a full station (AAVS2.0). As reference a station with dipole antennas EDA2 (EDA: Engineering Development Array) was deployed. This test set-up was used for an extensive test and evaluation programme. All test antenna configurations were simulated in detail by electromagnetic (EM) models, and the prediction of the models was further verified by appropriate tests with a drone-based radio frequency source. Astronomical observations on Sun and galaxy transit were performed with calibrated stations of both EDA2, AAVS1.5 and AAVS2.0. All 3 configurations were calibrated. EM modelling and calibration results for the full station AAVS2.0 and EM verification for the AAVS1.5 station are presented. The comparisons between the behaviour of the log-periodic antennas and the dipoles have advanced our understanding the calibration quality and the technological maturity of the future SKA1-Low array

On the mechanisms governing gas penetration into a tokamak plasma during a massive gas injection

A new 1D radial fluid code, IMAGINE, is used to simulate the penetration of gas into a tokamak plasma during a massive gas injection (MGI). The main result is that the gas is in general strongly braked as it reaches the plasma, due to mechanisms related to charge exchange and (to a smaller extent) recombination. As a result, only a fraction of the gas penetrates into the plasma. Also, a shock wave is created in the gas which propagates away from the plasma, braking and compressing the incoming gas. Simulation results are quantitatively consistent, at least in terms of orders of magnitude, with experimental data for a D 2 MGI into a JET Ohmic plasma. Simulations of MGI into the background plasma surrounding a runaway electron beam show that if the background electron density is too high, the gas may not penetrate, suggesting a possible explanation for the recent results of Reux et al in JET (2015 Nucl. Fusion 55 093013)

Comparisons and possible hybridizations of different clustering strategies for large arrays

International audienc

A volte ritornano

Nell'articolo di carattere divulgativo vengono presentati i risultati degli studi antropologici e archeologici sul territorio emiliano-romagnolo in relazione a pratiche e rituali funerari non convenzionali (sepolture prone, asportazione di parti del corpo, infissione di chiodi, ecc.

In situ wavelength calibration of the edge CXS spectrometers on JET

A method for obtaining an accurate wavelength calibration over the entire focal plane of the JET edge CXS spectrometers is presented that uses a combination of the fringe pattern created with a Fabry-Pérot etalon and a neon lamp for cross calibration. The accuracy achieved is 0.03 Å, which is the same range of uncertainty as when neglecting population effects on the rest wavelength of the CX line. For the edge CXS diagnostic, this corresponds to a flow velocity of 4.5 km/s in the toroidal direction or 1.9 km/s in the poloidal direction