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Radiation Characteristics of Reflectarray Antennas: Methodology and Applications to Dual ConfigurationsReflectarrays combines key features of large reflectors and phased array elements to generate a collimated beam as required in high gain antennas. In reflectarrays, a large flat reflecting surface with many resonant patch elements is illuminated by a feed (or by a feed/subreflector in dual reflector configuration). In many space applications, reflectarrays applications can be advantageous because their large surface can be folded or rolled as a part of spacecraft payload before being deployed. Consequently, a reflectarray can significantly reduce both volume and mass requirements in space deployment. To optimize reflectarray antenna performance, a phase correction mechanism must be applied to its individual array elements some of which are well documented in the literatures. In this study, we attempt to extend analytical techniques in reflector analysis to reflectarrays by introducing a number of approaches to estimate the reflectarray antenna performance independent of its phase compensation mechanism. In one approach, a Physical Optics (PO) current will be assigned to the surface of individual reflectarray elements upon which a phase correction will be applied. In the second approach, a transmit/receive (TX/RX) radiation characteristics will be assigned to individual reflectarray elements from which coupling coefficients will be calculated and assigned as the excitation coefficient of individual elements. PO approach is modeled in the UCLA reflector code while coupling (TX/RX) method is implemented in both UCLA code as well as TICRA (GRASP) software. Results are presented for single and dual configurations with the main reflector as a reflectarray. The approach described is used to design a 3-m Cassegrain offset-fed configuration for dual X/Ka-bands application.
Document ID
20080022197
Acquisition Source
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Document Type
Conference Paper
External Source(s)
Authors
Khayatian, Behrouz
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Rahmat-Samii, Yahya
(California Univ. Los Angeles, CA, United States)
Huang, John
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 24, 2013
Publication Date
November 6, 2006
Subject Category
Communications And Radar
Meeting Information
Meeting: EuCAP 2006: European Conference on Antennas and Propagation
Location: Nice
Country: France
Start Date: November 6, 2006
End Date: November 10, 2006
Sponsors: European Space Agency
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
reflectors
dual
reflectarray
Physical Optics (PO)

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