MeerKAT Primary Beam Models: Derivation and Application In Calibration and Imaging

We report on holographic measurements of the antenna primary beam (PB) of the MeerKAT radio telescope, an SKA precursor instrument currently being commissioned in the Karoo, South Africa. We use the characteristic basis function pattern (CBFP) approach, as well as analytic bases (Zernike polynomials, spherical harmonics) to derive smooth, parameterized PB models from holography observations.We discuss how these beam models are incorporated into the data processing at the calibration and imaging stage, and how this improves the quality of the resulting images.