Characteristics of lateral-scan interferometer
Abstract
The performance of a correlational interferometer for study of radio-contrast formation of the surface of Earth and other planets is analyzed, considering that such an interferometer must be mounted on an aircraft or spacecraft with its fixed-length baseline parallel, at least approximately, to the vector of the course velocity. The geometrical relations for such an instrument, in effect a lateral-scan interferometer performing aperture synthesis, are formulated in a cylindrical system of coordinates and a point source is assumed. Calculations yield the synthesization diagram representing the indeterminacy function as well as the accuracy in terms of resolution and sensitivity, with K = the square root of (2 pi lambda L)/1 (X - wavelength, L = baseline length, 1 = antenna aperture along given coordinate) as a parameter and taking into account the signal-to-noise ratio.
- Publication:
-
USSR Rept Electron Elec Eng JPRS UEE
- Pub Date:
- September 1984
- Bibcode:
- 1984RpEEE.......11D
- Keywords:
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- Radio Interferometers;
- Resolution;
- Accuracy;
- Planetary Surfaces;
- Sensitivity;
- Signal To Noise Ratios;
- Instrumentation and Photography