An Ultra-Wideband Dual Polarization Antenna Array for the Detection and Localization of Bright Fast Radio Transients in the Milky Way

Diego Gallardo; Ricardo Finger; Francisca Solis; David Monasterio; Sebastián Jorquera; José Pizarro; Juan Riquelme; Franco Curotto; Francisco Pizarro; Leonardo Bronfman

arXiv · 2501.08764

An Ultra-Wideband Dual Polarization Antenna Array for the Detection and Localization of Bright Fast Radio Transients in the Milky Way

Diego Gallardo·Ricardo Finger·Francisca Solis·David Monasterio·Sebastián Jorquera·José Pizarro·Juan Riquelme·Franco Curotto·Francisco Pizarro·Leonardo Bronfman

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Abstract

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are extraordinary astrophysical phenomena characterized by short radio pulses that last only a few milliseconds, yet their power can surpass that of 500 million suns. To date, most detected FRBs originate from beyond our galaxy. However, if an FRB were to originate within the Milky Way, it could be detected using small antennas. In this paper, we propose a compact and ad-hoc antenna array designed for the efficient detection and localization of FRBs within the Milky Way. The antenna operates within the 1200-1800 MHz range and consists of three sub-arrays placed in an L-shape for source localization, occupying a total volume of 80x25x6 cm^3. Each sub-array consists of 4 miniaturized, dual-polarized, half-space radiation antenna elements, forming a one-dimensional array that allows shaping the radiation pattern to match the form of the Milky Way without exhibiting grating lobes. A prototype was constructed and characterized to validate the design. The measured results exhibit good agreement with the simulations. In addition to having a custom elongated radiation pattern, the array has attractive merits, such as low reflections at the input ports, high radiation efficiency, and a distribution that inhibits the existence of phase ambiguities, thus facilitating source localization.

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Diego Gallardo, Ricardo Finger, Francisca Solis, David Monasterio, Sebastián Jorquera, José Pizarro, Juan Riquelme, Franco Curotto, Francisco Pizarro, Leonardo Bronfman. 2025-01-15. An Ultra-Wideband Dual Polarization Antenna Array for the Detection and Localization of Bright Fast Radio Transients in the Milky Way. https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.08764

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