Antennas

• Radiated Power
• Radiation Pattern
– Beamwidth
– Pattern Solid Angle
– Directivity
– Efficiency
– Gain
 Antennas
Transmitting Antenna: Any structure designed to
efficiently radiate electromagnetic radiation in a
preferred direction is called a transmitting antenna.
Wires passing an alternating current emit, or radiate,
electromagnetic energy. The shape and size of the
current carrying structure determines how much
energy is radiated as well as the direction of radiation.

Receiving Antenna: Any structure designed to

efficiently receive electromagnetic radiation is called
a transmitting antenna

We also know that an electromagnetic field will induce

current in a wire. The shape and size of the structure
determines how efficiently the field is converted into current,
or put another way, determines how well the radiation is
captured. The shape and size also determines from which
direction the radiation is preferentially captured.
 Antennas – Radiation Power
Let us consider a transmitting antenna (transmitter) is located at the origin of a
spherical coordinate system.
In the far-field, the radiated waves resemble plane waves propagating in the
radiation direction and time-harmonic fields can be related by the chapter 5
equations.
Es  o a r  H s
Electric and and
Magnetic Fields:
1
Hs  a r  Es
o

The time-averaged power density vector of the wave is found by

the Poynting Theorem
1
Power Density: P  r ,  ,    Re 
 s
E  H *
s

2

P  r ,  ,    P  r ,  ,   ar

The total power radiated by the antenna is found by integrating over a closed
spherical surface,
Prad   P  r ,  ,   dS    P  r ,  ,   r sin  d d
2
Radiated Power:
 Antennas – Radiation Patterns
Radiation patterns usually indicate either electric field intensity or power
intensity. Magnetic field intensity has the same radiation pattern as the
electric field intensity, related by o
It is customary to divide the field or power component by its
maximum value and to plot a normalized function

Normalized radiation intensity:

P  r, ,  
Pn  ,   
Pmax

Isotropic antenna: The antenna radiates

electromagnetic waves equally in all directions.

Pn  ,  iso  1
 Antennas – Radiation Patterns
Radiation Pattern: A polar plot
A directional antenna radiates and receives
preferentially in some direction.

It is customary, then, to take slices of the

pattern and generate two-dimensional plots.

The polar plot can also be in terms of decibels.

E  r, ,   A rectangular plot

En  ,   
Emax

En  ,   dB   20log  En  ,  

It is interesting to note that a normalized electric

field pattern in dB will be identical to the power
pattern in dB.

Pn  ,   dB   10log  Pn  ,  
 Antennas – Radiation Patterns
Radiation Pattern: A polar plot
It is clear in Figure that in some very specific
directions there are zeros, or nulls, in the
pattern indicating no radiation.

The protuberances between the nulls are

referred to as lobes, and the main, or major,
lobe is in the direction of maximum radiation.
A rectangular plot
There are also side lobes and back lobes.
These other lobes divert power away from
the main beam and are desired as small as
possible.

Beam Width:
One measure of a beam’s directional nature is
the beamwidth, also called the half-power
beamwidth or 3-dB beamwidth.
 Antennas – S
Antenna Pattern Solid Angle:

A differential solid angle, d, in sr, is

defined as
d   sin  d d .
For a sphere, the solid angle is found by A radian is defined with the aid of Figure a). It is the
angle subtended by an arc along the perimeter of the
integrating circle with length equal to the radius.
2  A steradian may be defined using Figure (b). Here,
   sin  d d  4 ( sr ). one steradian (sr) is subtended by an area r2 at the
surface of a sphere of radius r.
 0  0

An antenna’s pattern solid angle,

 p    Pn  ,   d 

All of the radiation emitted by the antenna is concentrated in a cone of solid

angle p over which the radiation is constant and equal to the antenna’s
maximum radiation value.
 Antennas – Directivity
Directivity:

The directive gain,, of an antenna is the ratio of the

normalized power in a particular direction to the
average normalized power, or
Pn  ,  
D  ,   
Pn  ,  avg

Where the normalized power’s average value taken

over the entire spherical solid angle is

  P  ,   d  
P  ,    
n p

  d 4
n avg

The directivity, Dmax, is the maximum directive gain,

Pn  ,  max
Dmax  D  ,  max 
Pn  ,  avg
4
Dmax  Using Pn  , max  1
p
Example
8.1: In free space, suppose a wave propagating radially away from an antenna
at the origin has
Is
Hs  sin  a
r
where the driving current phasor I s  I o e j
Find (1) Es
o I s
 
Is Is
E s  o a r  H s  o a r  sin  a  o sin  a r  a sin  a
r r r

Find (2) P(r,,)

1 1   o I s   Is  
*

P  r ,  ,    Re E s  H   Re 
*
sin  a    sin  a  
 r  r  
s
2 2

1   o I o e j
  Ioe j

*
 1   I e j   I o e  j 
 Re  sin  a    sin  a    Re  o o
sin  a    sin  a 
2  r   r   2  r   r 
 I o2 2  1 I o2
 Re o 2 sin   a  a    o 2 sin 2  a r
1 1 I o2
Magnitude: P  r ,  ,    o 2 sin 
2
2  r  2 r 2 r
Find (3) Prad
Prad   P  r ,  ,   dS    P  r ,  ,   r sin  d d
2
We make use of the formula
1 I o2 2 cos3 
Prad     o  sin  d   cos   3
3
sin 2
 r sin  d d
2 r2 
 
 1 I o2  2   cos3  
Prad   o 2    sin  d d 0 sin  d   cos   3 
3 3

2 r 0 0 0

 cos3    cos3 0  
 1 I o2    3  2     cos       cos 0  
Prad   o 2    sin  d   d 
 3   3 
 2 r  0  0 
 1   1  2 4
 1 I o2   4   1     1     2  
Prad   o 2     2    o I o
4
 3   3 
2
3 3
 2 r  3  3

Find (4) Pn(r,,) Normalized Power Pattern

1 I o2
P  r ,  ,    o 2 sin 2  1 I o2
2 r Pmax  o 2
2 r
P  r, ,  
Pn  ,    Pn  ,    sin 2 
Pmax
 Find (5) Beam Width
1 1
Pn  ,    sin 
2
 sin 2  HP sin  HP  
2 2
1 z
sin  HP 
2 HP,1  45 Pn  0.5
HP,2  135
HP,1  45 and HP,2  135
Beamwidth  BW   135  45  90 BW  90

(6) Pattern Solid Angle Ωp (Integrate over the entire sphere!)

Pn  0.5
 p    Pn  ,   d 
2 
 3  2   4  8
P   sin  sin  d d    sin  d d    sin  d   d      2  
2 3

0 0 0  0  3 3
(7) directivity Dmax
4 4 2
Dmax     1.5
 P 8 3
3
(8) Half-power Pattern Solid Angle Ωp,HP (Integrate over the beamwidth!)
 p , HP    Pn  ,   d 
2 135  135   2   5  5 2
 P , HP   sin  sin  d d 
2
 sin  d d    sin  d    d   
3

3
 0   2  
0 45  45    3 2  3

135
 3
 
135  cos3 135       cos  
cos3 45  
3 cos
 sin  d   cos   3     cos 135  3    
 
45 
3


45 45    
z
 1 1   1 1  2 2 10 5
   
        
 2 6 2   2 6 2  2 6 2 6 2 3 2

Power radiated through the beam width

BW
5 2 PBW = 88%

 P , HP 5 2
PBW   3   0.88 (or) 88%
P 8 8
3
 Antennas – Efficiency
Efficiency

Power is fed to an antenna through a T-Line and

the antenna appears as a complex impedance
Z ant  Rant  jX ant .
where the antenna resistance consists of
radiation resistance and and a dissipative
resistance.
Rant  Rrad  Rdis
j
For the antenna is driven by phasor current I o  I s e

The power radiated by the antenna is The power dissipated by ohmic losses is
1 1
Prad  I o2 Rrad Pdiss  I o2 Rdiss
2 2
An antenna efficiency e can be defined as the ratio of the radiated power
to the total power fed to the antenna.
Prad Rrad
e 
Prad  Pdiss Rrad  Rdiss
 Antennas – Gain
Gain

The power gain, G, of an antenna is very much like its directive gain, but
also takes into account efficiency

G  ,    eD  ,  

The maximum power gain

Gmax  eDmax

The maximum power gain is often expressed in dB.

Gmax  dB   10log 10  Gmax 

Example

D8.3: Suppose an antenna has D = 4, Rrad = 40  and Rdiss = 10 . Find

antenna efficiency and maximum power gain. (Ans: e = 0.80, Gmax = 3.2).

Antenna efficiency
Rrad 40
e   0.8 (or) 80%
Rrad  Rdiss 10  40

Maximum power gain

Gmax  eDmax   4 0.8  3.2

Maximum power gain in dB

Gmax  dB   10log 10  Gmax   10log 10  3.2  5.05