Calibration of SKA-low antenna array using drones

The Square Kilometer Array project goal is to build the next generation of telescope. It will allow us to see the most distant celestial bodies with a resolution and a sensitivity never reached by the current telescopes. The calibration of thousands of the antennas composing the telescope will be necessary to provide these performances. This calibration consisting of finding each antenna radiation pattern using an artificial source mounted on a drone, has already been studied and used in far field for some radio telescopes . In the first part of this Master Thesis, the effect of the impedance of amplifiers connected directly to the antennas will be analyzed. The influence of this parameter on the performances of the calibration using a drone flying in both far-field and near field will also be reviewed. The second part will focus on the calibration of the antennas in the vicinity of a finite ground plane. The effect of this round plane has also been studied and computed . This work will review the possibility of simulating this effect and calibrating the radiation patterns on this finite ground plane using infinite ground plane patterns and the radiation of azimuthal currents on this plane.