The Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA). Improvement of the antenna response with a matching network and scientific impacts

Abstract: The Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA) is a new powerful radio-telescope, dedicated to the study of the early universe. Its main goal is to characterise the period of the universe where the first galaxies and stars started to form, by studying the evolution of the 21-cm emission signal from neutral hydrogen, during the Epoch of Reionization. In this article, we present an electromagnetic and electrical co-simulation of the antenna performed with CST. We focus our analysis on the characterisation of the chromatic effects caused by the antenna, in particular multiple reflections of the received signal between the feed and the dish. These reflections can have an important impact on the scientific results, and it is crucial to keep them as low as possible. Therefore, we are currently developing a matching circuit which aims to improve the impedance matching between the feed and the front end.