Mutual Coupling Analysis for a SKA1-LOW Station

The modelling of the antenna patterns represents one of the main challenges for the instrumental calibration of radio telescopes composed by antennas randomly distributed. In this work, the electromagnetic characterization of a single station of the low-frequency instrument of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope operating from 50 to 350 MHz is reported. The station is assumed to be composed by Log Periodic antennas. The effects of mutual coupling on the complex embedded element patterns and on the array beam are investigated by means of a full-wave electromagnetic analysis. The accuracy of a simplified, mutual coupling-free approach is presented as well.