Expansion of a Y-Shaped Antenna Array and Optimization of the Future Antenna Array in Malaysia for Astronomical Applications

Abstract

To achieve high quality images from the sky by extending an existing interferometric array, in this work, the Geometrical Method (GM), Genetic Algorithm ( GA ), and Division Algorithm ( DA ) are compared. These methods are each applied independently to an interferometer array starting from the same initial conditions. Using the GM method, the spiral configuration is suggested as an optimum arrangement that provides the desired u-v coverage with low side lobe levels ( SLLs ). Using the GA method, as the number of generations is increased, the unsampled cells are reduced, enhancing the imaging quality. As such, the algorithm improves the overlapped samples as it works with a greater number of generations. Moreover, the GA is able to suppress the SLL . Finally, the DA is applied to such an array. Results show that the DA is able to process the sampled data with less overlapping of the data in the snapshot observations, in comparison to the other discussed configurations in this paper; effectively the DA reduces the overlapped samples, such that it is more efficient than the GA . The configuration of antenna s that arrive s by applying the DA method can achieve a certain image quality with less overlapping, as compared to the configuration arriv ing by applying the GA method. The calculated SLLs for the DA configuration are used to demonstrate that the efficiency of the DA is potentially better than that of the GA . Moreover, the GA and DA algorithms discussed in this study are applied to an array of 10 antennas with coordinates that represent the antennas deployed in Malaysia. Results show that the DA can reduce the overlapping of the samples more efficiently than the GA for a 6-hour tracking observation and in terms of unsampled cells the DA has the same efficiency of the GA .