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Antenna and Noise Temperature Basics

Antennas receive electromagnetic radiation from various sources and convert it into an equivalent antenna temperature. The amount of energy radiated by an object is represented by its brightness temperature, which depends on factors like the object's physical temperature, frequency, and polarization of the emitted energy. Common natural emitters in the microwave range include the ground at around 300K and the sky from 5K to 150K depending on the viewing angle. Transmission lines between the antenna and receiver can also contribute noise temperature due to losses. The effective antenna temperature and noise power seen by the receiver are modified to account for these transmission line losses and temperatures.

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Christy Polly
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199 views8 pages

Antenna and Noise Temperature Basics

Antennas receive electromagnetic radiation from various sources and convert it into an equivalent antenna temperature. The amount of energy radiated by an object is represented by its brightness temperature, which depends on factors like the object's physical temperature, frequency, and polarization of the emitted energy. Common natural emitters in the microwave range include the ground at around 300K and the sky from 5K to 150K depending on the viewing angle. Transmission lines between the antenna and receiver can also contribute noise temperature due to losses. The effective antenna temperature and noise power seen by the receiver are modified to account for these transmission line losses and temperatures.

Uploaded by

Christy Polly
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Lecture 11

Antenna Temperature,
Noise Temperature
• Every object with a physical temperature above absolute zero (0 K = −273 C) radiates energy.
◦

• The amount of energy radiated is usually represented by an equivalent temperature TB, better
known as brightness temperature, and it is defined as

• Since the values of emissivity are 0 ≤ Ԑ ≤ 1, the maximum value the brightness temperature can
achieve is equal to the molecular temperature.
• Usually the emissivity is a function of the frequency of operation, polarization of the emitted
energy, and molecular structure of the object.
• Some of the better natural emitters of energy at microwave frequencies are
• (a) the ground with equivalent temperature of about 300 K and
• (b) the sky with equivalent temperature of about 5 K when looking toward zenith and about
100 –150 K toward the horizon.
• The brightness temperature emitted by the different sources is intercepted by antennas, and it
appears at their terminals as an antenna temperature.
• The temperature appearing at the terminals of an antenna is that given by, after it is weighted by
the gain pattern of the antenna.
• In equation form, this can be written as
• Assuming no losses or other contributions between the antenna and the receiver, the noise
power transferred to the receiver is given by
• If the antenna and transmission line are maintained at certain physical temperatures, and the
transmission line between the antenna and receiver is lossy, the antenna temperature TA as seen
by the receiver must be modified to include the other contributions and the line losses.
• If the antenna itself is maintained at a certain physical temperature Tp and a transmission line of
length l, constant physical temperature T throughout its length, and uniform attenuation of α
0

(Np/unit length) is used to connect an antenna to a receiver, as shown in Figure 2.35


• The effective antenna temperature at the receiver terminals is given by
• The antenna noise power must also be modified and written as

• where Ta is the antenna noise temperature at the receiver input terminals.


• If the receiver itself has a certain noise temperature Tr (due to thermal noise in the
receiver components), the system noise power at the receiver terminals is given
by

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