In the calibration of a microwave radiometer, the calibration load is equipped with a metallic shield. The metallic shield is found to introduce aberration to the measurements of the antenna temperature. In this work, a ray-tracing model is constructed for the aberration analysis, which is based on the radiation transfer theory taking into account both the conductivity of the metal and the temperature distribution of the shield. Calculation results indicate that the temperature aberration due to the metal shield can be up to a few tenths of Kelvin, depending on the metal, the geometry of the shield and the size of the antenna.The calculation result is also compared with the experimental data.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.