Abstract Details
| Name: viren mandaogane Affiliation: Savitribai Phule Pune University Conference ID: ASI2025_510 Title : LiBRA: A Novel Low Frequency Wideband Antenna for Radio Astronomy Authors and Co-Authors : Mandaogane Viren 1, Bangar Sanket 2, Gaikwad Satyam 3, Ingale Prathamesh 2, Joshi Advait 4, Kulkarni Prabhanjan 5, Limaye Pranav 2, Sangavadekar Chinmay 6 , Chatterjee Sougata 7 , Hiray Manish 3 Abstract Type : Oral Abstract Category : Facilities, Technologies and Data science Abstract : We present the design and performance of the Linearly Polarised Broadband Radio Antenna (LiBRA), a novel low-frequency antenna developed for radio astronomical observations. LiBRA combines multiple bowtie elements with varying flaring angles, achieving wideband performance from 80 to 320 MHz with a return loss below -10 dB. The design was simulated using the FEKO Student Edition, with an optimization algorithm implemented to ensure high radiation efficiency across the entire bandwidth. This innovative design was recognized among the top three in India in the SWAN Antenna Design Challenge 2020-2021. A prototype of LiBRA was constructed and tested, demonstrating optimal performance in a band from 70 to 290 MHz. We summarize the reflection coefficient and radiation pattern results and present observations at low radio frequencies to validate its performance. Additionally, we discuss potential applications of LiBRA across various radio astronomical observations and outline directions for its future development. |