Surface Adjustment of the SRAO 6-M Antenna Based on Near-Field Radio Holography at 86 GHz

In an attempt to measure and correct the surface profile of the SRAO 6- antenna, we carried out a with-phase holographic experiment at 86 GHz with a transmitter in the near field. Unlike other previous experiments, for cost-effectiveness, we utilized harmonic mixers for frequency conversion together with a microwave synthesizer for local oscillators, while still maintaining the S/N ratio above the required value of 30 dB. We measured the complex beam patterns over ±30 _FWHM both in azimuth and elevation and Fourier-transformed them to obtain the surface profile at 10-cm spatial resolution. It is found that the surface accuracy of the antenna is improved from 100 m to better than 30 m. The edge taper is also estimated to be 11.2 dB in good agreement with the design value, 12 dB. To verify the improvement, we observed the Venus and found that the aperture and beam efficiencies are 72% and 76%, respectively, and are roughly independent of frequency over the whole 3-mm band.