Validation of the HARP method for simulation of mutual coupling between SKALA antennas

Abstract

The low-frequency instrument of the SKA radiotelescope will be made of large arrays of log-periodic antennas. Their mutual coupling may be strong and needs to be modeled in terms of embedded element patterns. The HARP method is based on Macro Basis Functions and computes their interactions versus relative positions, based on a limited number of explicit calculations in the near field. This paper shows results of this method in the low and medium range of the foreseen frequency spectrum, considering the SKALA (SKA Log-Periodic Antennas) designed for this new telescope.