Electromagnetic and electrical co-simulation of the HERA analogue system with CST – Delay spectrum response and sensitivity calculation

This memo presents a global electromagnetic and electrical co-simulation of the HERA analogue signal chain, combining the effects of the antenna with the RF front-end, which consists of an active balun connected to a receiver via coaxial cables. The circuits of the front-end are simulated with Genesys , in order to obtain their Sparameters and noise figures. These results are then validated thanks to measurements performed with a VNA. From the noise figures, the system noise temperature and the antenna sensitivity can be calculated. Lastly, the Sparameters of the front-end are combined with the electromagnetic model of the antenna in CST. This co-simulation is excited by a plane wave, which allows us to obtain the output signal after the front-end in the time domain.