A Technique for Primary Beam Calibration of Drift-Scanning, Wide-Field Antenna Elements

Abstract

We present a new technique for calibrating the primary beam of a wide-field, drift-scanning antenna element. Drift-scan observing is not compatible with standard beam calibration routines, and the situation is further complicated by difficult-to-parametrize beam shapes and, at low frequencies, the sparsity of accurate source spectra to use as calibrators. We overcome these challenges by building up an interrelated network of source "crossing points" -- locations where the primary beam is sampled by multiple sources. Using the single assumption that a beam has 180 degree rotational symmetry, we can achieve significant beam coverage with only a few tens of sources. The resulting network of crossing points allows us to solve for both a beam model and source flux densities referenced to a single calibrator source, circumventing the need for a large sample of well-characterized calibrators. We illustrate the method with actual and simulated observations from the Precision Array for Probing the Epoch of Reionization (PAPER).

10 pages, 9 figures, 1 table, revised to match version accepted by AJ

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• Cosmology at Low Frequencies: The 21 cm Transition and the High-Redshift Universe
• The GMRT-EoR Experiment: A new upper limit on the neutral hydrogen power spectrum at z~8.6
• Toward Empirical Constraints on the Global Redshifted 21 cm Brightness Temperature During the Epoch of Reionization
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