Design of a quasi optical transmission line for Cloud and precipitation radar system of ACE mission

We outline the design and test of a new quasi-optical transmission line (QOTL) for feeding the reflector system in an optional instrument for deployment on the Aerosol/Cloud/Ecosystems (ACE) mission. The QOTL used to connect the transmitter and receiver to the antenna is designed for operation at W-band (94 GHz) frequency. A test-bed has been developed for the various critical components of the radar system. The challenge in using quasi-optics for ACERAD is that it must accommodate dual-polarized operation. We have developed a way to accomplish this that extends the design implemented in CloudSat radar jointly developed by JPL/NASA, Canadian Space Agency and other agencies. The new design has been prototyped using various components on a laboratory optical bench. Critical components of the QOTL have been fabricated and tested. Some results are presented.