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Please note: There will be NO onsite registration for this course!

Date: 13 September 2015

Location: Advanced Radar Research Center, Univ. of Oklahoma, 3190 Monitor Ave, Norman, OK. 

Description:

The confluence of wireless sensors systems, massive use of smart phones, and the resulting rapid advances in commercial RF devices has led to the emergence of a new generation of low-cost but highly-advanced phased-array antenna technologies. Features such as agile/multiple beams, low profiles, and high reliability offer wide-ranging possibilities for military and civil applications. Potential phased-array applications in weather radar, agile beams enable enhanced temporal resolution, are key features for sampling large volumes of atmospheric phenomena where the life cycle is less than 30 minutes. Current advances in semiconductor technologies provide better integration and power density; as a result, smaller and more lightweight antennas can be installed on the sides of buildings, communication towers, and space and airborne platforms. There is however a significant gap in the understanding of the challenges associated with the adoption of phased array technology for weather applications.  There remain many fundamental questions surrounding how to relate traditional weather radar performance to equivalent metrics and operation on a phased array, including those revolving around appropriate scanning strategies, dual-polarization and antenna patterns, thermal management, calibration, and both initial and life cycle costs.  In the last decade, researchers and engineers have been focused on getting a better understanding of these questions, and have also worked towards engineering solutions to the emerging challenges.  This is particularly true for polarimetric antenna patterns, which are significantly more complicated in phased arrays.  Additionally, an understanding of the differences between phased array and dish main-beam characteristics is important for reusing developed algorithms for conventional and operational weather radars.

This short course will cover an introduction to phased array antennas for atmospheric research, short presentations of existing phased array radars (ground-based, airborne and spaceborne), and provide an overview of applications in atmospheric research. The main focus is to introduce the most important challenges in the use of phased array antennas for atmospheric research: Dual polarization and calibration. A discussion of practical design consideration for dual-polarized active phased array will be included, followed by a live demonstration of antenna performance in an anechoic chamber.

The course format consists of one day of lectures followed by two hours of hands on laboratory session with exercises that can be completed any time during the conference.

A luncheon and two coffee breaks will be provided during the short course.  Access to Internet will be available. A shuttle will be provided to/from the Embassy Suites and the Advanced Radar Research Center.

Instructors: Professors Jorge Salazar and Caleb Fulton, University of Oklahoma at Norman

Information: Please contact Jorge L. Salazar or Caleb Fulton at University of Oklahoma at Norman, 3190 Monitor Avenue, Norman, OK  73072 (Tel: 405325-6499/4278; emails: [email protected], [email protected]