A new calibration algorithm of wide-band polarimetric measurement system

The principle and experimental results of a new self-consistent calibration algorithm for a wideband polarimetric scattering measurement system are presented. The calibration targets include a flat plate, a dihedral corner reflector, and a rotated dihedral corner reflector. The rotation angle of the third calibrator can be derived in the calibration process and used to verify the calibration performance. Experimental results show that the calculated rotation angle of the third calibrator over the operation bandwidth is in good agreement with its actual angle, hence it provides a self-consistent parameter of the calibration algorithm. Based on the signal-to-noise consideration, an optimal rotation angle for a dihedral corner reflector is found to be 22.5°. This calibration technique is also useful in characterizing the frequency and polarization responses of dual-polarization antennas