A general effective approach to the synthesis of shaped beams for arbitrary fixed-geometry arrays

Abstract

We propose a new approach to the mask-constrained synthesis of shaped beams through generic array antennas having arbitrary layouts and element patterns. The introduced general methodology allows casting the design problem as a finite number of Convex Programming optimizations and can generate different excitation solutions all fulfilling the required specifications. Numerical examples, including planar arrays and the full-wave synthesis of an aperiodic array, are provided in support of the given theory.

Keywords:

• Antenna pattern synthesis
• array antennas
• convex programming
• shaped beams

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Gennaro G. Bellizzi http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2866-2973

Andrea F. Morabito http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7502-6238

Gino Sorbello http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5081-3486

Tommaso Isernia http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3830-9540

Notes

1 Note this does not entail any lack of generality, as it is simply equivalent to fix the phase reference.

2 This property has been profitably exploited also in [32] wherein, however, the synthesis is carried out through an iterative procedure which is completely different in spirit from the present approach and does not allow finding a multiplicity of solutions corresponding to the sougth power pattern.

3 For example, in the case of two control points, ${\varphi }_1=\pi$ implies a negative interference at the midpoint between them, with bad effects on the ripple.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Giada M. Battaglia

Giada M. Battaglia received the Laurea degree in Electronic Engineering (summa cum laude) in 2017 from the University of Reggio Calabria, Italy, wherein she is now a PhD student in Information Engineering. Her research work is mainly focused on models and effective strategies for antenna optimal synthesis and therapeutic applications.

Gennaro G. Bellizzi

Gennaro G. Bellizzi received the MS Laurea degree (summa cum laude) in biomedical engineering from the University of Naples “Federico II” in 2015 and his PhD in Electronic Engineering at the University “Mediterranea” of Reggio Calabria. He was the recipient of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society Doctoral Research Grant (2017). Since November 2017 he joined the COST Action MyWave CA17115 as management committee substitute. Currently he is a researcher within the Department of Radiotherapy at the Erasmus MC, Rotterdam (NL). His research work is mainly focused on therapeutic applications of biomedical engineering as well as on the solution of electromagnetic scattering and antenna synthesis problems (with particular emphasys on microwave hyperthermia cancer therapy).

Andrea F. Morabito

Andrea F. Morabito has received the Laurea degree in Telecommunications Engineering (summa cum laude) and the PhD degree in Computer, Biomedical, and Telecommunications Engineering from the University of Reggio Calabria, Italy, wherein he has been an Assistant Professor in Electromagnetic Fields since 2010. His research work is mainly focused on models and effective strategies for electromagnetic forward and inverse scattering problems, as well as on antenna theory, design, optimal synthesis and therapeutic applications, with applications ranging from biomedical imaging to radar and satellite telecommunications. Dr Morabito has been a visiting researcher at the Eledia Research Center of the University of Trento and is a member of the LEMMA Research Group, of the Italian Electromagnetics Society, and of the European Association on Antennas and Propagation. He is author of about 100 papers published on peer-reviewed scientific journals or international conference proceedings. Dr Morabito has been awarded by the Italian Electromagnetics Society with both the “Barzilai” and “Latmiral” Prizes.

Gino Sorbello

Gino Sorbello received the Laurea degree in Electronics Engineering cum laude at the University of Catania, Italy, in 1996, and the PhD degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering at the Polytechnic Institute of Milan in 2000. In 2002, Dr Gino Sorbello became Assistant Professor of Electromagnetic Fields at University of Catania. Since 2014, he is Associate Professor of Electromagnetic fields at the Department of Electric, Electronics and Computer Engineering, University of Catania. His current research interests include single-mode solid-state waveguide lasers and amplifiers, integrated optics, development of planar antennas and ultra-wideband compact antennas, antenna synthesis, study of microwave devices and computational electromagnetism with a special interest in RF-plasma interactions and particle accelerators.

Tommaso Isernia

Tommaso Isernia received the Laurea (summa cum laude) and PhD degrees from the University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy. He is currently a Full Professor in Electromagnetic Fields with the Università Mediterranea of Reggio Calabria, Italy, where he serves as the Supervisor of the LEMMA Research Group and the Director of the Information Engineering Department. He currently is also with the Consorzio Nazionale Italiano per le Telecomunicazioni where he serves as a Member of the Board of Administrators. His current research interests include field synthesis problems for biomedical imaging and therapeutic applications, inverse problems in electromagnetics, with particular emphasis on phase retrieval, inverse scattering, and antenna synthesis problems. Dr Isernia was a recipient of the G. Barzilai Award from the Italian Electromagnetics Society in 1994.