A low-cost directional log periodic log spiral antenna

• Main Author: McMilin, Emily
• Other Authors: Bornemann, J.
• Language: English; en
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: antenna; log periodic; radio astronomy; SKA; wideband; frequency independent; UVic Subject Index::Sciences and Engineering; UVic Subject Index::Sciences and Engineering::Physics::Astronomy
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1828/2630

The Square Kilometer Array radio astronomy telescope will achieve the majority of its extremely large aperture area with thousands of parabolic dishes, each illuminated by a wideband antenna feed, and this thesis introduces a new such antenna. The wide bandwidth of this new antenna is achieved with the development of a directional log periodic antenna. Scaling the log periodic elements into three-dimensional space is the present method used for directional log periodic antennas. We propose confining these often complex log periodic elements into a single plane, while the ground "plane" takes on a three dimensional form, permitting low-cost implementations without requiring the introduction of a complicated scaffolding to support the log periodic elements in 3-D. This low-cost solution would scale well in the implementation of the thousands of antenna feeds that the Square Kilometer Array demands. We also introduce a previously unreported LP design: the log periodic log spiral antenna.