Gaussian beam techniques for illuminating reflector antennas

Simple design procedures are presented for use when a Gaussian beam is used to illuminate a classical reflector antenna. Displacement of the location of the beamwaist toward the focusing element in the case of electrically small antennas where the aperture is in the near field of the feed was calculated together with modification of the required beamwaist radius. Dual reflector antennas were discussed and design procedures appropriate for systems with large and small focal length to diameter ratio developed. Cases where a reflector or subreflector is electrically small, or in the near field of a feed, are readily treated. For elliptical beam antennas, a simple illumination system using only a scalar horn and a single cylindrical lens can generally be found; this has no ray optics analogue. A configuration of this type is discussed, with a practical case study of a 28-by-80-λ elliptical Cassegrain antenna operating at a wavelength of 3 mm. The design process for designing the feed system is discussed in detail. Despite the small size and relatively large aperture blockage, an aperture efficiency of 0.48 was measured, which compared quite well with the expected efficiency of 0.53, thus verifying the validity of the Gaussian beam design approach     

A comparison among 1-, 3-, and 7-horn feeds for a 37-beam MBA

A very common multiple beam antenna (MBA) configuration consists of a collimating device illuminated by an array of feeds. The collimating device is usually a reflector or a lens. The feeds are usually horn antennas with a circular aperture. The reflector is usually offset-fed to eliminate aperture blockage; the lens is center fed. The antenna's feeds are excited to produce a finite number of beams, so as to provide contiguous coverage of the field of view. The designer is forced to minimize the angular spacing between adjacent beams in order to maximize the minimum gain over the antenna's field of view. On the other hand, the feed horn's aperture gain is maximized when the feed horn spacing and its aperture diameter are equal. This results in antenna efficiency of the order of 30% when a single feed horn is excited to produce a beam. When a cluster of 3 or 7 adjacent feed horns are excited to produce a single beam, antenna efficiency can be increased to 50%. When it is tolerable, several identical antenna apertures can be used to replace a single aperture configuration. In this case, each of M apertures produces approximately N/M beams of an MBA that produces N beams. Horns producing adjacent beams do not illuminate the same aperture. This permits the use of a much larger horn aperture for a given beam spacing. This results in reduced spillover, higher gain of each beam, and increased antenna efficiency of each aperture. This paper investigates the maximization of gain for several lens antennas. It shows that antenna gain is increased as its focal length is decreased. That is, a focal length-to-diameter ratio (F/D) less than 1 is preferred     

Gaussian mode analysis of Cassegrain antenna efficiency

Gaussian mode analysis is a convenient way to characterize long focal length systems, such as the Cassegrain antenna at the secondary focus. We use multimode Gaussian optics to derive several interesting results concerning the aperture efficiencies of Cassegrain antennas fed by corrugated conical horns. The highest efficiency is obtained when the antenna is illuminated by a wide-band, wide-angle horn which has its phase center at the secondary focus, or equivalently by a narrow-band diffraction limited horn with its phase-center located at a confocal tertiary focus. In both cases this corresponds to placing the horn aperture at a position where the incoming fields are frequency-independent and have limited spatial extent. We generalize these results to show that a true image of the aperture distribution can always be formed on the spherical cap in the aperture of any arbitrary scalar horn, by using a single refocusing tertiary lens or mirror. Since both the incoming fields and the horn aperture fields on this surface are frequency independent, it follows that the aperture efficiency is also independent of frequency with either of these arrangements. We suggest that devices for shaping the aperture illumination, such as shaped lenses or dual shaped subreflector systems, should, in general, be installed near an image of the telescope aperture distribution.     

The hexagonal horn as an efficient Gaussian beam launcher

A new type of feed horn-the hexagonal horn-is proposed and investigated by means of Gaussian-Hermite beam-mode analysis. The electric-field distribution at the horn aperture plane is approximated. The polarization efficiency is 88.66%. The fractional power in the fundamental beam mode is about 85%. The near- and far-field radiation patterns are calculated. The high fractional power in the fundamental beam mode of the horn indicates that it can be used as an efficient Gaussian beam launcher in quasi-optical systems     

Design and analysis of quasi-integrated horn antennas formillimeter and submillimeter-wave applications

The authors present a systematic process for the design of multimode quasi-integrated horn antennas, and provide a full range of practical antenna designs for millimeter- and submillimeter-wave applications. The design methodology is based on the Gaussian beam approach and the structures are optimized for achieving maximum fundamental Gaussian coupling efficiency. For this purpose, a hybrid technique is used in which the integrated part of the antennas is treated using full-wave analysis, whereas the machined part is treated using an approximate model. This results in a simple and efficient design process. The design procedure has been applied to the design of 20-, 23-, and 25-dB quasi-integrated horn antennas, all with a Gaussian coupling efficiency exceeding 97%. The designed antennas have been tested and characterized using both full-wave analysis and 91/370-GHz measurements. The quasi-integrated horn antennas are also examined as feed elements for Cassegrain antenna systems and are proved to be comparable to the traditional machined corrugated horn feeds     

Gaussian beam mode analysis of the coupling of power between horn antennas

Gaussian beam mode analysis can be applied in an elegant way to study the coupling of power between two horn antennas. Coupling efficiencies are evaluated for a number of horn combinations and the results presented in a straightforward form useful in the design of submillimetre-wave interferometers and astronomical receiver systems. We show that there is a marked variation in efficiency (up to 30%) depending on the coupling optics, even for beams with well matched profiles.     

Application of the Beam Mode Expansion to the Analysis of Noise Reduction Structure (Short Papers)

The beam mode expansion method used to discuss the distraction problem by an aperture is applied to the analysis of the noise reduction structure consisting of two aperture stops. The incident field is a fundamental wave beam whose amplitude distribution is Gaussian. The transmitted field through the structure can be represented as a sum of beam mode functions and is regarded as a signal. The noise which is originated from the spontaneous emission is added to the incident Gaussian wave beam. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the output is discussed and optimum conditions are obtained numerically.     

Experimentally based modeling of field sources forthree-dimensional computation of SAR in electromagnetic hyperthermia andtreatment planning

Presents field source-modeling, for applications to hyperthermia, by utilizing experimental data from the paraxial region of a liquid muscle-like phantom irradiated by an aperture antenna. The data are used in an optimization algorithm, applied to a Gaussian beam model (GBM), to determine the source parameters for GBM-computations of specific absorption rates everywhere, accurate to within 1% (relative to the global maximum) of the experimental results. This paper also shows how the aperture and incident fields may be determined accurately by the GBM and links them to the electric-field integral equation (EFIE), as an example, to improve the accuracy of numerical computations of the electric or magnetic fields associated with the EFIE, the magnetic-field integral equation, or any other field formulations. It is further demonstrated that models of plane waves, or approximate source fields, predict power levels with significant, unacceptable errors. Finally, it is concluded that the GBM is a viable tool for characterizing aperture antennas used in hyperthermia for cancer therapy     

Analysis of pyramidal horn antennas using moment methods

A hybrid numerical technique is developed for electrically large pyramidal horn antennas radiating in free space. A stepped-waveguide method is used to analyze the interior surfaces of the horn transition. The electric field integral equation (EFIE) is employed on the outer surfaces of the pyramidal horn including the radiating aperture. Meanwhile, the magnetic field integral equation (MFIE) is used on the aperture to relate the aperture fields and those in the horn transition The resultant hybrid field integral equation (HFIE) is solved numerically by the method of moments. This formulation is both accurate and numerically stable so that high-gain microwave pyramidal horns can be analyzed rigorously. Far-field radiation patterns, both computed and measured, are presented for three electrically-large X-band horn antennas. The comparisons demonstrate that this method is accurate enough to predict the fine pattern structure at wide angles and in the back region. Computed far-field patterns and aperture field distributions of two smaller X-band horns are also presented along with a discussion on the validity of the approximate aperture field distributions routinely used in the analysis and design of pyramidal horns     

Calculation of the field radiated by horn-antennas using themode-matching method

Methods employed for evaluating fields radiated by horn antennas, like the aperture field method and the spherical wave expansion, have not taken into account the contribution by fields existing outside the horn aperture (e.g., along the outer walls of the horn). The use of the mode-matching technique for analyzing the transition from horn antenna to free space makes it possible to include in the analysis even those fields which exist outside (e.g., behind) the horn aperture when determining the far as well as the near field. Furthermore, the effects of the finite wall thickness and the discontinuity caused by the transition from waveguide to free space are also taken into account. A suitable development of the fields at the transition of the conical/corrugated horn to free space using the mode-matching technique is presented. Two different convergence diagrams, depending on the kind of modes excited in the horn antenna, are given. They show the results from extensive convergence investigations. With the help of these diagrams, a reliable evaluation of the fields radiated by horn antennas is guaranteed. Practical measurements of the fields radiated by horn antennas confirm the field distributions gained through analysis     

喇叭天线的数值研究

本文提出了用边界元法分析喇天线的方法,并对其入口驻波特性、口径场、近区场和辐射场作了深入的探讨,得到的数据均与其它方法的结果相吻合。由于本文方法具有推导简单,计算省时的特点,所以是研究喇叭天线的一种有效途径。     

Cross polarization from dual mode horn antennas

The cross polarization from dual mode horn antennas supporting the TE11and TM11-modes has been analyzed both theoretically and experimentally. The cross polarization has been shown to be strongly dependent on the length and flare angle of the horn. When the flare angle for a given horn length becomes larger than a certain threshold angle, the cross-polar sidelobes increase rapidly. Simple formulas for this threshold angle are presented. This cross-polar degradation will not occur if a plane phase front is provided over the horn aperture, either by profiling the horn or by applying a lens in the aperture.     

一种准光模式变换器的设计和实验

准光模式变换器是实现高功率回旋管高效输出的重要部件。该文针对140 GHz, TE_28,8模回旋振荡管研制,开展以Denisov型辐射器和3个准光镜面构成的准光模式变换器设计与实验研究。利用标量衍射法优化辐射器辐射口径处的场分布,其与理想高斯场之间的矢量相关性为96.2%;基于几何光学和高斯波束匹配方法设计了聚焦镜面与波束整形镜面,采用3维全波分析软件Surf3D获得各个镜面上及输出窗处的场分布,对所设计的镜面系统进行了仿真验证,在输出窗处获得了高斯模式含量为96.67%的输出波束,整个模式变换器的功率转换效率为93.98%。以自行研制的TE_28,8模激励器作为准光模式变换器的输入,通过对模式变换器转换性能仿真结果验证,在严格控制加工精度及装配和实验过程的基础上,完成了准光模式变换器转换性能的冷测实验。实验结果表明,设计和实验具有合理的一致性,可以作为准光模式变换器工程应用设计和验证手段。     

Improved radiation pattern performance of Gaussian profiled horn antennas

A new horn antenna profile is presented. This new profile based on Gaussian techniques offers the best solution when the requirements related to the radiation pattern are very stringent. Short-horn antennas with high-conversion efficiency to a fundamental Gaussian beam, and therefore, very low sidelobe and cross-pol levels in a wide-frequency band, could be obtained by using the design technique presented here. Once the theoretical principles of the Gaussian profiled horn antennas (GPHA) are presented, some other possibilities involving Gaussian profiles are studied and compared with their conventional counterparts. Finally, as an example of the design technique proposed, a particular design of a GPHA for HISPASAT 1C and now also valid for the new HISPASAT 1D satellite is presented, showing the excellent agreement between the theoretical and experimental results.     

SABOR: description of the methods applied for a fast analysis ofhorn and reflector antennas

The program presented in this paper is intended to provide a valuable aid for teaching antennas to electrical engineers, and to provide fast and accurate pre-designs for professionals. This paper covers the theory and numerical techniques used in SABOR. In summary, this program computes the radiated field of an aperture antenna (horn or reflector), using a common engine based on the Gauss-Legendre quadrature method for evaluating the radiation integrals. For horn, the aperture fields are the usual dominant modes of the feed waveguide, with a quadratic phase correction. For reflectors, the aperture fields are computed using geometrical optics ray tracing from the feed horn. Also, equivalent-reflector concepts are applied for dual-reflector antennas. The paper includes some examples to demonstrate the most important features of the program     

亚毫米波段折叠光路的准光近场照射天线设计与应用

介绍了一种新颖的折叠光路近场准光照射天线设计方法,并成功应用在微波黑体定标源微弱散射的双站测量中. 在双站测量中,传统的小口径天线适用于低频范围,被测目标足够小才能保证远场条件. 与传统基于远场条件出发的小口径天线设计不同,本文所提出的准光照射天线的设计目的是在目标区降低链路衰减,实现相位平坦、幅值边缘衰减的聚焦照射,并可在近场区域内测得目标的远场散射特征. 设计基于准光学设计方法:由主反射镜和平板反射镜共同构成紧凑的折叠光路,首先确定馈源喇叭天线的等效高斯波束参数,然后基于高斯波束传播理论设计主反射镜,再通过全波仿真验证其折叠路径. 仿真分析表明即使馈源采用基本的圆锥喇叭馈源,也可实现良好的聚焦效果. 双站实测数据表明该天线设计达到了设计目的,为亚毫米波近场双站散射测量的开展提供了关键性的波束控制,具备广泛的应用价值.     

Ultra-wide band corrugated gaussian profiled horn antenna design

Nowadays, an increasing number of applications need stable radiation patterns with low sidelobes and low crosspolar levels in a very wide bandwidth. Gaussian profiled horn antennas (GPRAs) have demonstrated their feasibility as one of the best solutions. A corrugated Gaussian horn antenna design with more than 40% bandwidth is proposed. The measured radiated far field patterns are in good agreement with the simulated ones. The measured results show a Gaussian antenna with extremely wide bandwidth, low sidelobes, and low crosspolar levels     

Analysis of diagonal horns through Gaussian-Hermite modes

The radiation characteristics of diagonal horns are investigated by means of Gaussian-Hermite modes. It is shown that, for reasonably long horns, the beamwidths in the principal and 45° planes are equal to within 10%, and all sidelobes are below -15 dB. It is also demonstrated that the phase center of a diffraction-limited horn is close to the aperture, whereas the phase center of a constant-beamwidth horn is behind the throat. The maximum coupling to the lowest order copolar Gaussian mode is 84%, and the total amount of power coupled into the cross-polarized lobes is 9.5%. More significantly, the aperture efficiency of a Cassegrain antenna fed by a diagonal horn has a maximum value of 81%, which compares with 87% for a corrugated horn. The maximum efficiency is achieved when the aperture of a diffraction-limited horn is placed at a confocal tertiary focus, although a secondary focus gives an aperture efficiency that is only 10% lower, suggesting that diagonal horns are suitable for focal-plane arrays