Impact of phase noise on TDMS based calibration for spaceborne multi-beam antennas

For spaceborne multi-beam antennas (MBAs), time division multiplexed switching (TDMS) based calibration receiver can reduce implementation costs effectively and is very suitable for large-scale applications. However, in practice, random phase noise imposed by noisy local oscillators can cause significant performance degradation in TDMS-based calibration systems. Characterization of phase noise effects is therefore crucial for practical applications. In this paper, we analyze the impact of phase noise on the calibration performance for a MBA system. Specifically, we derive the relationship between the probability of correct amplitude/ phase estimation and various practical factors involving the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the standard deviation of phase noise, the given tolerance region, and the length of the spreading code. The results provide high efficiency for evaluating the calibration performance of the MBAs based on TDMS, especially for precisely anticipating the impact of phase noise. Finally, the accuracy of the derived results is assessed by simulations in different scenarios.