Including spatial correlation of thermal noise in the noise model of high-sensitivity arrays

The design of very-high sensitivity arrays requires the analysis of thermal noise generated by the slightly lossy antennas. In strongly coupled arrays, thermal noise available on different ports may be correlated. A method is proposed for the computation of this correlation and for the estimation of its effect on the system noise temperature, which becomes dependent on scan angle. A numerical simulation example shows that the correlated part of the noise can play an important role in the fraction of system noise originating from the lossy antennas.