Artem Kamenev, a student of TSU Faculty of Radiophysics, is working on a model of a flat focusing reflector. This device is much simpler in design than existing counterparts. Its use will reduce the cost of organizing communication in space.
For the majority of aerospace systems, a very important aspect is to obtain high-power signals as both emission and reception for communication with the Earth. To do this today parabolic reflectors are mostly used.
- Parabolic reflectors have a high gain without the use of additional equipment and they can work for narrowband and ultrawideband signals, - says Artem Kamenev. - However, for their smooth operation, it is necessary to maintain an accurate parabolic shape, which is quite difficult in space.
Unlike the parabolic, the flat reflector is not deformed in space. In addition, it is simpler in construction and to assemble and transport. Currently, the scientist has created a model of a flat reflector and investigated the effect of various parameters on its properties.
A flat focusing reflector, as a rule, works only in a narrow band of frequencies, but Artem Kamenev found a way to implement tuning the frequency. Furthermore, the flat reflector that he has made has an extremely low cost, presumably five times less than the parabolic.
- For small mirrors, this difference will be noticeable only in industrial scale. If we consider the structures that are deployed in the space, a great many of functional elements are used, and so then the difference in cost will be very noticeable - said Artem Kamenev.
The device has already been patented.