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Theoretical investigation of the properties of broadband antenna array on arbitrary convex smooth impedance surface



Published: 03/04/2005
Original: missing
© 1991, V. I. Chulkov
© 2005, EDS–Soft,  http://www.eldys.org,   E-mail: publications@eldys.org


When antenna systems are located on objects with curved surfaces, there arises necessity to determine the characteristics of the conformal array (CA) radiators, as the most frequently used components of these systems. The wideband and wide-angle performance can be achieved by means of placing a multi-element array of compact wide-band strip radiators (CWSR) above the impedance structure (IS) with special properties [1], and the use of this impedance structure allows an increase in the radiation resistance, which facilitates matching of the radiator with the feeder line. Since there are well-known difficulties arising during experimental research, there becomes actual a theoretical analysis of CA of CWSR above the impedance curvilinear surface (ICS), as a particular case of IS.

Let us examine a smooth, convex surface lacking sharp curves, which, in general case, represents an IS with an array of CWSR above it. We consider that all of the electrodynamics heterogeneities (radiators, parallel-plate layers of magneto-dielectrics etc.) are located between the surfaces and , where the surface is placed above at some distance , and all coordinate systems introduced below have a common origin located on the surface . Suppose that a primary monochromatic plane electromagnetic wave is incident to the array along the negative direction of the –axis of the Cartesian coordinate system at angles , . As a result of the diffraction of this wave, the electric and magnetic currents, as sources of secondary electromagnetic wave (scattered field , ), are induced on the surface of the CA. In the paper [2], using the method of Fok – Filippov [3], the asymptotic solution of the problem for bi-dimensional periodic CA of CWSR above a slowly-changing cylindrical ISC of arbitrary form and large electrical size have been constructed. In this paper, the results obtained in [3], have been generalized for convex surfaces of double curvature. We’ll attribute to them both closed surfaces (real ellipsoid) and unclosed indefinite surfaces (elliptical paraboloid).

On the surface the general electromagnetic field can be written as a continuous expansion of terms of plane waves [4]:

(1)

where , , is the covariant basis of some orthogonal curvilinear coordinate system , , , the metrical tensor of which is:

In the coordinate system on the surface , we will refer as “partial” vector harmonics to the vectors

(2)

In order to determine their specific kind, let us introduce a semigeodesic (polar [5]) coordinate system , on the surface in such a way that the following differential correlations are valid:

(3)

Here is some arbitrary function which never vanishes and which makes sure the integration requirement is fulfilled, . The covariant vectors , tangent to the –axis, satisfy the relation [10]:

(4)

where is a surface gradient [6], is a contra-variant basis of the coordinate system , , , and is an eikonal of "partial" harmonic of incident wave on the surface . In the expression (4) , for k=1,2 are the components of the co-variant metric tensor (=1, =0, ) [7]:

Let’s denote by , the curvature radii of the surface along the coordinate lines and (=0). We will consider that the physical components of the electromagnetic fields (incident and scattered) satisfy the condition that cross diffusion must be small and longitudinal diffusion must be negligible [8]. Then, the Maxwell’s equations can be asymptotically (when , for m=1,2) reduced to the system of coupled parabolic Leontovich-Fok’s equations relative to the components of the electrical field and in the , , coordinates [3]. The solution of the latter in homogeneous space region near the array (when ) permits to find all the remaining components of the electric and magnetic fields using the formulas

with an accuracy up to [3], where , and is the curvature radius of the surface along the coordinate line . For the periodic array on the generalized cylindrical surface, this solution is presented in [2]. But, in the case of an arbitrary surface of large size and arbitrary spacing of radiators, the solution obtained becomes unwieldy and difficult in computation, since it requires performing of numerical differentiation and numerical double-integration by contours in the complex region. It can be obtained from the expressions presented in the paper [3] (formulas (2.56)…(2.58) and (2.71)…(2.74)). We will confine ourselves to the case of a bi-dimensional periodic array, with periods satisfying the condition:

(5)

where is the period of the array along the –axis (for i = 1,2). The condition (5) is typical for a CA of CWSR. In formula (1), let’s proceed to discrete Fourier transform and consider that, under the conditions , and (5) within the given period:
— the curvature radius does not depend on and
— the metrical tensor components do not depend on and
— the metrical tensor components do not depend on and .

Under the restrictions (3), assuming , we find out that within any single period:

If, in addition to the above conditions, another one is satisfied

then we can assume in all the expressions. Moreover, we can consider the electromagnetic field near the array upon “partial” excitation (2) to be local-periodical [3], and the scattered field in the coordinate system , , can be represented for the zero cell in the region in the form [3]:

(6)

where , , and the coefficients are slowly-changing functions of coordinates , . The covariant components of eigenvectors can be obtained using the formulas (2.70), (2.65), (2.56) and (2.58) from the paper [3] and have the following form:

— for the electric field

(7)
— for the magnetic field
(8)

In the expressions given:

And:

, are the Airy functions, in the definition and notation of V. A. Fok; ; the stroke at the Airy functions denotes an argument derivative; , and are the elements of the second square form of the surface . The lower index at and corresponds to the –coordinate. The harmonics (7) and (8), are analogous to the Floquet harmonics for the plane case [9] and uniformly reduced into them when .


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