An Advanced Testbed for Passive/Active Coexistence Research: A Comprehensive Framework for RFI Detection, Mitigation, and Calibration

Passive microwave remote sensing plays a vital role in Earth observation and environmental assessment by enabling the estimation of various geophysical parameters. This technique leverages passive microwave radiometers to measure natural electromagnetic emissions. While passive microwave remote sensing captures natural electromagnetic radiation within specific frequency bands for environmental assessment, the rise of commercial radio frequency (RF) spectrum advancements near these frequencies raises concerns about contamination. Despite regulatory safeguards, uncertainties remain regarding the manifestation and extent of interference, making it essential to identify effective methodologies to minimize such impacts. Interestingly, these protected bands also align with the spectrum of interest for next-generation (xG) wireless communication, including 5G cellular systems operating in the FR1 (0.45 GHz-6 GHz) and FR2 (24.45 GHz-52.6 GHz) frequency ranges. Although operating bands are prohibited from conducting any up-link or down-link operations in the protected band, out-of-band (OOB) emissions can still significantly impact passive sensors because of the high sensitivity requirements related to science.