Development and validation of a deterministic propagation model for MeerKAT

Abstract

© 2017 IEEE. The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and its precursor instruments such as MeerKAT are new generation radio telescopes whose high sensitivity increases their susceptibility to radio frequency interference (RFI). Efforts in South Africa thus continue to be centred around preserving the electromagnetic (EM) quietness of the MeerKAT site. An understanding of the EM characteristics of the site can be gained by probing signal propagation. Specifically, the full extent of multipath effects at the MeerKAT core area, which will comprise 44 dishes of 13.5m diameter in a 1km radius, must be understood. Since measurements are not typically permitted in the vicinity of the dishes, deterministic modelling emerges as a compelling solution to meet the accuracy demands of the SKA.