SWIFT: Electronically-Reconfigurable Surfaces for Improved Coexistence Between Radio Astronomy and Satellite Communications Systems

SWIFT：电子可重构表面，以改善射电天文学和卫星通信系统之间的共存

基本信息

批准号：
2128506
负责人：
Steven Ellingson
金额：
$ 74.85万
依托单位：
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2021
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2021-09-01 至 2024-08-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2128506&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
SWIFT Electronically Reconfigurable Surfaces Improved

项目摘要

The next few years will see a dramatic increase in the use of satellites in low Earth orbit to deliver world-wide continuous broadband low-latency communications to rural and remote locations. Radio telescopes will need to contend with increased interference from satellites in the largest sidelobes. The gap between what can be achieved by spectrum regulation and administrative coordination, and what is needed for productive science, must be bridged by technical methods. This project intends to study the use of electronically-reconfigurable surfaces (ERS) to enable large reflector antennas to dynamically modify their sidelobes. ERS is an array of patch-type antennas with characteristics that can be individually electronically controlled. Such an array in the outer portion of a dish antenna can strongly reduce interference from the side. However, the characteristics of the dish must be known. The extent to which this problem can be ameliorated by spectrum regulation or administrative coordination between satellite system operators and radio astronomers is limited: Ultimately, satellite system operators have the right to operate at the carrier frequencies allocated to them, whereas astrophysical considerations dictate the need to observe at times and frequencies affected by these transmissions. The gap between what can be achieved by spectrum regulation and administrative coordination, and what is needed for productive science, must be bridged by technical methods. A practical ERS occupying the outer 17% of a reflector can effectively null interference from any from direction beyond the main lobe, with negligible effect on gain and pattern within the main lobe. The principal difficulty in the implementation of a practical ERS is control; that is, determining the set of unit cell phase shifts that implements the desired pattern. Because the sidelobes of large reflectors are not accurately known, and because interference direction of arrival is rapidly varying, any deterministically determined solution will be approximate at best, so real-time optimization will be required. This research will investigate the use of ERS for practical coexistence between radio astronomy systems and satellite transmissions, potentially leading to advanced, wide-ranging sharing techniques applicable to many situations. It will also support undergraduate students in a project that addresses a full range of issues.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

接下来的几年，在低地球轨道中使用卫星的使用将大幅增加，以向农村和偏远地区提供全球连续的宽带低延迟通信。射电望远镜将需要与最大的局部卫星的干扰增加。必须通过技术方法弥合频谱法规和行政协调可以实现的差距，以及生产科学所需的差距。该项目旨在研究电子可恢复的表面（ER）的使用，以使大型反射器天线能够动态地修改其侧球。 ERS是一系列斑块型天线，具有可以单独通过电子控制的特性。盘子天线外部的这种阵列可以强烈减少从侧面的干扰。但是，必须知道该菜的特征。卫星系统操作员和射电天文学家之间的光谱法规或管理协调可以改善此问题的程度是有限的：最终，卫星系统操作员有权以分配给他们的载体频率进行操作，而天体物理学的考虑决定了偶尔和频率受到这些传输影响的需要。必须通过技术方法弥合频谱法规和行政协调可以实现的差距，以及生产科学所需的差距。占据反射器外部17％的实用器可以有效地从主叶以外的任何方向上脱离干扰，并且对主叶内的增益和模式的影响可忽略不计。实施实施者的主要困难是控制。也就是说，确定实现所需模式的一组单位单元相移。由于大型反射器的旁观者尚不清楚，并且由于干扰方向迅速变化，因此任何确定性确定的解决方案最多都将是近似值，因此需要实时优化。这项研究将调查ERS在射电天文学系统和卫星传输之间的实际共存中的使用，这有可能导致适用于许多情况的高级，广泛的共享技术。它还将在一个解决各种问题的项目中支持本科生。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并且使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响审查标准，被认为值得通过评估来获得支持。