Numerical Analysis on the Equivalent Physical Temperature Estimation for Pyramidal Microwave Calibration Targets Based on Infrared Imagery

Authors

  • Ming Jin College of Information Science and Technology Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1977-8029
  • Jiacheng Qian College of Mathematics and Physics Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
  • Miaomiao Peng College of Information Science and Technology Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13052/2026.ACES.J.410308

Keywords:

brightness temperature estimation, microwave calibration target, pre-launch calibration

Abstract

Pyramidal microwave calibration targets (MCT) are widely applied in on-orbit and pre-launch radiometric calibrations due to its compact size. However, it is well known that array-shaped MCT suffers from the temperature gradient at tips that leads to radiating brightness temperature (BT) bias. Therefore, it is vital to estimate the equivalent physical temperature of the MCT given the tip temperature gradient for the BT bias correction. In this work, the authors numerically investigate the TMCT estimation based on possible temperature measurement techniques, specifically considering a combination configuration of platinum resistor temperature (PRT) detector at the metal base and the infrared camera detector for the tipbottom temperature difference. By considering the possible variation of coating material parameters and thermal measurement errors, it is possible to evaluate TMCT estimation accuracy. Numerical results indicate that this temperature measurement configuration can lead to accurate TMCT estimation at the level of 0.1 K (1−σ). Factors that notably impact on the estimation accuracy are discussed. This investigation can be a direct reference for MCT BT correction applications in the pre-launch calibration process.

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Author Biographies

Ming Jin, College of Information Science and Technology Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China

Ming Jin received the B.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from Beihang University (BUAA), Beijing, China, in 2007 and 2013, respectively. From 2007 to 2012, he was a research assistant in the Microwave Engineering Laboratory, Beihang University. From December 2010 to March 2011, he was a Visiting Scholar at Arizona State University. In 2019, he joined the College of Information Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology (BUCT), as an associate professor, and he became professor in 2024. His research interests include microwave radiometer calibration techniques, quasi-optical beam propagation and computational electromagnetics.

Jiacheng Qian, College of Mathematics and Physics Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China

Jiacheng Qian is currently pursuing his B.Sc. degree in the College of Mathematics and Physics, majoring in Electronic Science and Technology. His research interests include numerical simulations and analysis of microwave calibration targets.

Miaomiao Peng, College of Information Science and Technology Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China

Miaomiao Peng received B.Sc. and master’s degrees from Beijing University of Chemical Technology (BUCT), Beijing, China, in 2022 and 2025, respectively. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. degree with the school of integrated circuits and electronics, Beijing Institute of Technology. Her current research interests include numerical method in electromagnetics, microwave radiometer calibration targets and brightness temperature transfer modeling in calibration links.

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Published

2026-03-30

How to Cite

[1]
M. . Jin, J. . Qian, and M. . Peng, “Numerical Analysis on the Equivalent Physical Temperature Estimation for Pyramidal Microwave Calibration Targets Based on Infrared Imagery”, ACES Journal, vol. 41, no. 03, pp. 271–280, Mar. 2026.

Issue

2026: Vol 41 Iss 3

Section

General Submission

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