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.

未来几年，近地轨道卫星的使用将急剧增加，以向农村和偏远地区提供全球连续宽带低延迟通信。射电望远镜需要应对最大旁瓣卫星增加的干扰。频谱监管和行政协调所能实现的目标与生产力科学所需的目标之间的差距必须通过技术方法来弥合。该项目旨在研究电子可重构表面（ERS）的使用，使大型反射面天线能够动态修改其旁瓣。 ERS 是一组贴片式天线，具有可单独电子控制的特性。这种位于碟形天线外部的阵列可以极大地减少来自侧面的干扰。但是，必须了解菜品的特点。通过卫星系统运营商和射电天文学家之间的频谱监管或行政协调来改善这一问题的程度是有限的：最终，卫星系统运营商有权在分配给他们的载波频率上运行，而天体物理学方面的考虑则决定了需要观察受这些传输影响的时间和频率。频谱监管和行政协调所能实现的目标与生产力科学所需的目标之间的差距必须通过技术方法来弥合。占据反射器外部 17% 的实用 ERS 可以有效消除来自主瓣以外方向的任何干扰，对主瓣内的增益和方向图的影响可以忽略不计。实施实际 ERS 的主要困难是控制；也就是说，确定实现所需模式的晶胞相移集合。由于无法准确了解大型反射体的旁瓣，并且由于干扰到达方向快速变化，因此任何确定性确定的解决方案充其量都是近似的，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的用途，这可能会导致适用于许多情况的先进、广泛的共享技术。它还将支持本科生参与解决全方位问题的项目。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。