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ARA Wideband Surface Antennas

ARA Wideband Surface Antennas . By Thomas Boatright. Purpose of Surface Antenna. To detect UHE neutrinos near South Pole using radio frequencies Serve as ARA2 and ARA3 antennas Requirements: Function from 25Mhz-1000Mhz Easy to assemble and mass produce. How It Works.

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ARA Wideband Surface Antennas

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  1. ARA Wideband Surface Antennas By Thomas Boatright

  2. Purpose of Surface Antenna • To detect UHE neutrinos near South Pole using radio frequencies • Serve as ARA2 and ARA3 antennas • Requirements: • Function from 25Mhz-1000Mhz • Easy to assemble and mass produce

  3. How It Works • Neutrinos pass through the ice, some hit hydrogen or oxygen atoms. • This impact with atoms causes particles from the atoms to spray outward and emit radio frequencies • These radio waves bounce off of the water underneath the ice and travel back through the ice • These radio frequencies are then picked up by monitoring stations armed with our antennas and collect data on these emissions, allowing us to better understand neutrinos

  4. Original ARA1 DeathRay • A dipole where each half has six brass rods extend in a symmetrically hexagonal figure

  5. Nec SWR

  6. ARA2 & ARA3 DeathRays • Arms 2.4m, Conical pieces ~0.6m • Changes were made to allow easier assembly

  7. SWR Performance

  8. Anechoic Chamber SWR

  9. Performance at the Pole

  10. New Model! • Settled on a spiral antenna • 1.2m radius • Double arm • Stub Balun • Lower the frequency the bigger the spiral • Higher frequencies depend on the inner part of the antenna

  11. Nec Measurements without balun

  12. NecMeasurements with balun

  13. Test Model • Used almost a full turn of the original model • About a fourth the size as the original • Copper wire duct taped to a board • A hole is cut out of the board for the connector in the center

  14. Test Results

  15. Actual Spiral • Decided to use foam • Supper light weight • Easy to use and construct • Used a router to make a trench in foam • Laid copper wire in trench • Put a piece of plywood on top to protect antenna and give it some weight

  16. Second Mini-Spiral

  17. SWR

  18. Foam absorbing power? • Got another antenna to measure the loss when turning the antenna 90 degrees

  19. Future Plans • Spiral Antenna is being used in TARA project in Utah to detect cosmic rays

  20. More Plans • Currently slot antennas are being designed for ARA to detect horizontally polarized signals

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