Offset parabolic reflector antennas

The paper provides a tutorial review of a number of offset parabolic reflector configurations including both single and double-reflector geometries. The author commences by describing some basic techniques which can be applied to predict the vector radiation fields and provides some indication of the validity of these methods. The formulation of a relatively simple analytical model for the offset reflector antenna is described based upon the physical-optics approximation. The electrical performance of the single-offset reflector is examined by comparison of predicted and measured data. The particular problems arising from the choice of polarisation and reflector dimensions are highlighted, and some practical applications involving multiplebeams, shaped and contoured beams, monopulse tracking and low sidelobes are briefly reviewed. Practical primary-feeds for offset-reflector antennas are discussed and the matched-feed concept is outlined, the matching of the electric fields in the primary-feed aperture to the reflector focal fields being illustrated. The advantages and disadvantages of dual-reflector antennas are then examined, with particular emphasis upon the open Cassegrainian configuration and the optimised doubleoffset configuration which offers, in principle, both freedom from blockage and low levels of cross-polarised radiation.     

Circularly polarized feed for cylindrical parabolic reflector antennas

The feed design described is a linear array of crossed dipoles above a ground plane. The radiation patterns of the longitudinal and the transverse dipoles are made equal by parallel longitudinal rods, referred to as beam forming rods or beam matching rods. When used as a circularly polarized feed for an offset parabolic cylinder antenna, aperture efficiencies (spillover included) as high as 0.89 are potentially available if the field distribution along the array is uniform. The beam patterns of the feed were computed both by the method of moments and the geometrical theory of diffraction and are compared with patterns measured on a model at 1.5 GHz. A method of matching the impedance for both linear polarizations is proposed using parallel impedance matching rods.     

Analytical solution for early-time transient radiation frompulse-excited parabolic reflector antennas

A closed-form analytical solution is developed for predicting the early-time transient electromagnetic fields which are generated by a perfectly conducting parabolic reflector antenna when it is illuminated by a transient step spherical wave due to an elemental Huygen's source located at the focus. This closed-form time-domain solution, which is valid both near and far from the reflector (and anywhere in the forward region) can be used via the convolution theorem to efficiently obtain the early-time transient fields generated by the same parabolic reflector antenna when it is illuminated by a realistic finite-energy pulse which emanates as a spherical wave from the focus. The transient solution is developed here by analytically inverting, in closed form, the corresponding frequency-domain solution in terms of a radiation integral that employs an asymptotic high-frequency geometrical optics (GO)-based approximation for the fields in the aperture. Numerical results are presented for the transient fields both near and far from the reflector. The fields on boresight exhibit an impulse-like behavior similar to that of the impulse radiating antenna (IRA) introduced by Baum et al. (1989, 1993)     

Scanning capabilities of large parabolic cylinder reflector antennas with phased-array feeds

Two methods of scanning large parabolic cylinder antennas are examined: one method moves a small array across the focal plane to form a scanning beam; the other method employs a larger stationary array which is capable of electronically scanning the beam. With conventional single-element feeds, the maximum possible scan angle decreases with increasing reflector size. With array feeds, however, the scan limits are shown to be independent of reflector size and antenna gain. Antennas with movable array feeds are found to have high performance (high gain and low sidelobes) even when scanned more than ten degrees off axis; antennas with stationary array feeds degrade rapidly beyond about one degree of scan because of aperture blockage. Off-axis designs which eliminate the aperture blockage are shown to extend the coverage of antennas with stationary feeds to aboutpm 5degrees.     

An application of Kern's `Transmission integral' to defocusingerrors in offset-fed parabolic reflector antennas

D.M. Kern's transmission integral (in Antenna Interactions, NBS Monograph 162, 1981) is used to calculate defocusing errors on offset-fed parabolic reflector antennas. This approach yields the scattering matrix for the parabolic reflector and is therefore applicable to any type of feed. Sample calculations of the two-dimensional (2-D) fast Fourier transform are given for a parabola with a focal-length-to-diameter ratio of 0.4     

Effect of defocus on the prompt response of a reflector IRA

Impulse radiating antennas (IRAs) are an emerging class of antenna that are designed to radiate extremely short electromagnetic pulses with multiple decades of instantaneous bandwidth. The most common IRAs are made with a transverse electromagnetic (TEM) transmission line feeding a paraboloidal reflector. The IRA is usually constructed so that the electrical feed point of the TEM transmission line coincides with the focal point of the paraboloid. The paraboloidal reflector converts the spherical wave emanating from the feed point into a plane wave (i.e., a spherical wave centered at -/spl infin/). In many practical cases, the feed point and focal points are not exactly aligned, producing some defocus of the reflector. In this paper, we model the case of hyperbolic defocus because of its analytic form and compare this model with experimental measurements. A hyperboloidal reflector fed from one focus converts the expanding spherical wave into a second expanding wave which appears to emanate from the second focal point of the hyperboloid (which is behind the reflector). Hyperboloidal defocus is roughly equivalent to moving the electrical feed closer to the reflector than the optical focal point. Previous theoretical results from in-focus IRAs predicted that the E- and H-plane temporal responses should be symmetric with respect to the temporal center of the response. The results shown here demonstrate that the defocusing causes these responses to become asymmetric. The new results are in better agreement with experimental measurements of IRAs and provide a physical explanation for experimental results that differ from the original theory.     

Improvement of prompt response from impulse radiating antennas by aperture trimming

Reflector impulse radiating antennas (IRA) traditionally have been constructed by terminating a self-reciprocal, transverse electromagnetic (TEM) transmission-line feed structure into a paraboloidal reflector. The section of the paraboloid used is usually circular in cross-section, with the outer boundary coinciding with the circle of symmetry of the TEM feed. The reflector converts the spherical TEM mode on the feed line into an approximate plane wave in the near field by geometric optics. The prompt radiated electric field in the direction of focus is given in the physical optics approximation in terms of the integral of the electric field of the TEM mode over the aperture plane inside the reflector boundary. Balanced feed structures have TEM modes that provide both positive and negative contributions to this integral in the aperture plane. Determination of the contour where the principal component of the electric field in the TEM mode is zero identifies portions of the aperture that contribute destructively to the integral. These portions are removed, thereby increasing the prompt radiated field without altering the feed structure or the applied voltage waveform. Furthermore, decreasing the size of the TEM feed relative to the aperture size, followed by appropriate aperture trimming, allows an even greater increase in radiated field. Results are presented that predict an increase in prompt radiated fields for all electrode configurations. Improvements are largest for electrode angles that are large (with respect to the vertical). The trends predicted by the numerical results are verified by an experiment conducted on a time-domain antenna range.     

Single shaped reflector antennas for broadcasting satellites

For future direct broadcasting satellites in Japan, precisely contoured beam antennas will be required for onboard antennas. Single shaped-reflector antennas are suitable for that purpose, since they do not need complex feed networks. However, in a previous study, discontinuities in the reflector surface were observed. The problem of the discontinuity was circumvented in this work and the shaped reflectors were successfully designed to produce contoured beams for covering the Japanese islands for the downlink and feederlink antennas. The downlink antenna was fabricated, and the radiation pattern was verified by measurement. The radiation pattern meets the radio regulations imposed on the onboard antenna, such as sidelobe and cross-polarization characteristics     

An active surface for large reflector antennas

We present a solution adopted for the Noto antenna (Sicily) in order to overcome the degradation of antenna efficiency due to the gravitational deformation of the structure of large antennas. This new setup allows a substantial increase in the operating frequency, and eliminates the dependence of the antenna efficiency on elevation.     

A synthesis procedure for coated reflector antennas

A procedure is presented for the synthesis of coated axially symmetric reflector antennas to provide specified far-field radiation patterns. The technique stems from ray tracing from the feed to the aperture plane via reflection from the reflector surface. The coating profile required to attenuate the aperture fields is determined based on the reflection of plane waves from metal-backed slabs. The procedure involves two steps. Initially the thickness required to produce the proper magnitude aperture distribution is obtained. Then the reflector is shaped to adjust the phase across the aperture. This procedure is demonstrated in the design of a -40 dB Taylor pattern. Comparison of the results with those obtained using a moment method formulation revealed good agreement between the two formulations     

Feed network for dual beam reflector antennas

A primary feed network for doubly curved shaped-beam reflector antennas is described which allows simultaneous signal reception on two distinct elevation plane patterns such that the underside falloff separation between a fixed lower beam and a higher beam can be substantially varied in a lossless manner. A three-element feed array is employed wherein two elements of the array are interconnected by means of a sum-difference hybrid. The sum port generates the fixed low beam while the difference port generates an orthogonal beam pattern suitable for RF combining with an independent high beam generated by the third array element. Adjustment of the combining amplitude and phase relationships permits the variation of the underside falloff separation. The fixed low beam is, of course, also used for transmission at high power. Design parameters for a typical surveillance radar application axe discussed for a linearly polarized case. Calculated antenna patterns and free-space coverage diagrams are presented. The complexities of extending the feed network concept to handle switchable linear/circular polarization cases and an integral directional beacon pattern for L band systems are indicated.     

Exact sampling approach for reflector antennas analysis

A new method for computing the far field of a possibly shaped or deformed reflector antenna based on a sampling representation of the radiation integral is presented. Using a projection technique the required samples can be efficiently computed using a two-dimensional fast Fourier transform (FFT), whereas the radiated field is reconstructed via standard sampling expansion. Numerical examples and computation time analysis are reported showing the effectiveness of the approach particularly for deformed reflectors and/or plane-cut field evaluation.     

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     

Fast computation of radiation integral for reflector antennas

A FORTRAN IV program to compute the field scattered by parabolic reflector antennas in a prescribed plane cut is presented. This program was executed on the UNIVAC 1100/80 at the University of Naples. A flowchart of the main program is provided     

Depolarization properties of offset reflector antennas

The cross polarized radiation for linearly polarized excitation and the beam displacement for circularly polarized excitation have been investigated for offset reflector antennas. Numerical calculations are given to illustrate the dependence upon the angletheta_{0}between the feed axis and the reflector axis as well as upon the half-angletheta_{c}subtended at the focus by the reflector. In the casetheta_{0} = theta_{c} = 45deg, measured results have been obtained for both linearly and circularly polarized excitations with a dual mode feed illuminating an offset paraboloid. The cross polarized radiation of horn reflector and open Cassegrainian antennas rises sharply to rather high values off the beam axis; however, in general, the maximum cross polarized radiation of offset reflector antennas can be made small by using a small angle between the feed and reflector axes. The cross polarization caused by offset is compared with that caused by an unbalanced feed pattern. The effect of the longitudinal current distribution and of departure of the surface from a paraboloid on cross polarization are also examined. The clarification of these cross polarization properties is found to be valuable in the design of reflector antennas.     

Method for testing reflector antennas at THz frequencies

The possibilities of applying far-field, near-field, and compact-range techniques to reflector antennas in the THz frequency range are discussed. Other methods, such as defocusing and combining of the mechanical-reflector-surface measurements and the feed-horn-radiation patterns, are also discussed. A recently introduced hologram type of compact range is described. It may be concluded from the analysis of the different methods that the far-field method can be discarded due to atmospheric effects. The near-field method remains a possibility. However, an expensive, high-quality, moving stage is needed, and phase errors caused by flexible cables have to be dealt with. In some cases, a defocusing method, to bring the far field closer, may prove to be practical. Technically, the most-feasible and least-expensive method appears to be the hologram type of compact range. In this method, a planar-amplitude hologram is used to form the required plane wave. The hologram is inexpensive to manufacture, and it is also less sensitive to surface-accuracy errors than a reflector     

A resistive sheet approximation for mesh reflector antennas

A simplified method of estimating the equivalent surface resistance of a reflecting mesh is presented. The equivalent resistance is obtained from the approximate mesh reflection coefficients, which are based on averaged boundary conditions. This resistance approximation allows an integral equation solution for the mesh reflector that is a simple extension of that for the perfectly conducting reflector. Paraboloid radiation patterns using physical optics in conjunction with the reflection coefficients are compared to an E-field integral equation solution for a resistive surface. The agreement is excellent for low to moderate resistance values, even in the sidelobe regions     

A figure of merit for signal processing reflector antennas

In recent years a new class of reflector antennas utilizing array feeds has been receiving attention. An example of this type of antenna is a reflector utilizing a moveable array feed for beam steering. Due to the circuitry required to adjust the weights for the various feed array elements, an appreciable amount of loss can be introduced into the antenna system. One technique to overcome this possible deficiency is to place low noise amplifiers with sufficient gain to overcome the weighting function losses just after each of the feed elements. In the evaluation of signal processing antennas that employ amplifiers the standard antenna gain measurement will not be indicative of the antenna system's performance. In fact, by making only a signal measurement, the antenna gain can be made any arbitrary value by changing the gains of the amplifiers used. In addition, the IEEE Standard Test Procedures for Antennas does not cover the class of antennas where the amplifier becomes part of the antenna system. There exists a need to establish a standard of merit or worth for multi-element antenna systems that involve the use of amplifiers. A proposed figure of merit for evaluating such antenna systems is presented.     

Design of multiple-edge blinders for large horn reflector antennas

Attaching blinders to the sides of pyramidal horn reflector antennas and other large aperture antennas is one method of controlling high sidelobes for horizontal polarization. This paper describes analysis and design procedures for arriving at a useful multiple-edge blinder for reducing undesirable sidelobes of a pyramidal horn reflector antenna. Several blinders have been designed and tested for use with a pyramidal horn reflector antenna. They are directed at reducing a high sidelobe near90degin the azimuth plane where levels (referred to the main lobe) of -52 dB at 3.74 GHz and -58 dB at 6.325 GHz are presently typical. A 14-edge blinder designed using these techniques reduced these levels by 20 dB at 3.74 GHz and 12 dB at 6.325 GHz and did not significantly degrade antenna performance for other angles and other polarizations.     

Radiation properties of parabolic torus reflector

General radiation-pattern formulas for a torus reflector antenna have been developed using physical optics. These expressions are valid at arbitrary feed locations not only within the primary focal arc but also for beam scanning with squinted feed horn illuminations. Numerical results were obtained at 22 GHz for an experimental 1.25 m×2.5 m torus reflector in both elevational beam scanning and extended azimuthal scanning outside the primary ±15° field of view. An elevation scanning range of 7° showed only a 1 dB gain reduction. The 20° azimuth beam (i.e. 5° extended azimuth scanning) showed a 1.4 dB gain reduction. Comparison between calculated and measured patterns showed agreement in beamwidth and most pattern features. The discrepancy between calculated and measured sidelobe levels in the azimuthal plane is attributed to imperfection enhancement by the horizontal oversize of the reflector