Fringe-washing function calibration in aperture synthesis microwave radiometry

Abstract

This paper describes how the fringe-washing function of a wide field of view interferometric radiometer can be accurately estimated using a relatively simple method. Fringe washing is an undesired effect that can be avoided in radio-telescopes due to its narrow-beam nature, but which is unavoidable in wide field of view interferometers, as those built for Earth Observation applications. The 3-delay method is based on performing correlations at -T, 0 and +T lags of each baseline of the interferometer, when all receiver inputs are connected to a common noise source (centralized correlated noise injection). In addition, a fringe-washing function closure relationship is presented which allows to extend this concept to aperture synthesis radiometers using distributed correlated noise injection. The results presented in this paper are simulations based on real measurements of the end-to-end frequency response of the first prototype receivers of ESA's Microwave Imaging Radiometer with Aperture Synthesis (MIRAS).