Antennas

Radiated Power
Radiation Pattern
Beamwidth
Pattern Solid Angle
Directivity
Efficiency
Gain

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 equations.
Electric and
Magnetic Fields:

E s o a r H s
and
Hs

a r Es

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

the Poynting Theorem
1
P
r
,

Re E s H* s

Power Density:
2

P r , , P r , , ar

The total power radiated by the antenna is found by integrating over a closed
spherical surface,
Radiated Power:

2
Prad
P r , , gdS P r , , r sin d d

EM wave in free space

2 Ex
1 2 Ex

t 2
0 0 z 2
Hy
2

t 2

1 Hy
0 0 z 2
2

E x E0 e j (t z )

H y H 0 e j ( t z )

frequency

Electric
field

wavelength
Direction of
propagation

z
Magnetic
field

Z0

E0
H0

1
0 0 f

Phase constant

Z0

0
0

Wave in lossy medium

E x E0 e z e jt E0 e z e jz e jt

Attenuation
increases with z

Phase varies
with z

Propagation constant
Attenuation constant
Phase constant

Periodic time
variation

Power flow
Poynting vector

S EH

Average power density

2
1
1
2 1
S av E x
H y Z0
2
Z0 2

Radiation pattern

Far field patterns

Field intensity decreases with increasing distance, as 1/r
Radiated power density decreases as 1/r 2
Pattern (shape) independent on distance
Usually shown only in principal planes
D2
Far field : r 2

D : largest dimension of the antenna

e.g. r > 220 km for APEX at 1.3 mm !

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:

Pn ,

P r, ,
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.
En ,

E r, ,
Emax

En , dB 20 log 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 10 log Pn ,

A rectangular plot

Radiation
Pattern
Polar plot

Whenever we speak of
radiation patterns, we
normally mean we are at a
distance far enough from
the antenna known as the
far field.

dB= 10 log Pn(,) or,

dB= 20 log En(,)

Radiation pattern (2)

Field patterns

E ( , )

E ( , )

+ phase patterns

( , )

P ( , )

E2 ( , ) E2 ( , )

Pn ( , )
HPBW: half power beam width

( , )

Z0

P ( , )
P ( , ) max

r2

Antennas
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
integrating
2

sin d d 4 ( sr ).

A radian is defined with the aid of Figure a). It is the

angle subtended by an arc along the perimeter of the
circle with length equal to the radius.
A steradian may be defined using Figure (b). Here,
one steradian (sr) is subtended by an area r2 at the
surface of a sphere of radius r.

0 0

An antennas 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 antennas
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

D ,

Pn ,

Pn , avg

Where the normalized powers average value taken

over the entire spherical solid angle is
P , d

P ,

4
d
n

avg

The directivity, Dmax, is the maximum directive gain,

Dmax D , max

Dmax

4
p

Pn , max
Pn , avg

Using Pn , max 1

Resolution and Directivity

Half-power beamwidth (HPBW) is the angle between two vectors

from the patterns origin to the points of the major lobe where the
radiation intensity is half its maximum
Often used to describe the antenna resolution properties

First-null beamwidth (FNBW) is the angle between two vectors,

originating at the patterns origin and tangent to the main beam at its
base.
Directivity and resolution: Usually resolution of an antenna is it`s half
the BW between first nulls.
Often FNBW/2 Resolution and it is approximately equal to HPBW

So, A = ( FNBW/2) ( FNBW/2) two plane of the field

If N number of point source, the receiving antenna can resolve, N= 4/ A,
Directivity, D= 4/ A, so number of point source in the sky is equal to directivity of the
antenna.

Beam area and beam efficiency

Beam area

Main beam area

Pn ( , ) sin( )dd Pn ( , )d
4

P ( , )d
n

Main
beam

Minor lobes area

P ( , )d
n

min or
lobes

A M m

Main beam efficiency

M
A

Effective aperture and aperture efficiency

Receiving antenna extracts power from incident wave

Prec Sin Ae
Aperture and beam area are linked:

2
Ae
A

For some antennas, there is a clear physical aperture

and an aperture efficiency can be defined
ap

Ae
Ap

Directivity and gain

Directivity
From pattern

P( , ) max
P( , ) average
4

P ( , )d
n

4
A

From aperture

D 4

Ae
2

Isotropic antenna: A 4

Gain G k g D
n efficiency factor (0 n 1)
G is lower than D due to ohmic losses only

D 1

Radiation resistance
Antenna presents an impedance at its terminals

Z A RA jX A
Resistive part is radiation resistance plus loss resistance

R A RR RL
The radiation resistance does not correspond to a real resistor
present in the antenna but to the resistance of space coupled
via the beam to the antenna terminals.

Example
8.1: In free space, suppose a wave propagating radially away from an antenna
at the origin has
Hs

Is
r

sin a

where the driving current phasor

I s I o e j

Find (1) Es

E s o a r H s o a r
Find (2) P(r,,)
P r, ,

1
2

Re E s H

*
s

Is
r

sin a

Is
r

sin a r a

I
I

Re o s sin a s sin a

2
r

r
1

o I s
r

sin a

*
j
j

o I o e
Ioe
I o e j
1
1 o I o e j
Re
sin a
sin a

Re
sin

sin

2
r
r
2
r
r

I o2
1
1 I o2
2
2
I
1
o
Re o 2 sin a a o 2 sin a r
P r , , o 2 sin 2
Magnitude:
2
r
2 r

2 r

Find (3) Prad

2
Prad
P
r
,

g
d
S

P
r
,

r
sin d d

1 I o2

Prad o 2 sin 2 r 2 sin d d

2 r

1 I
o
2
r

Prad

2
o
2

cos3
3
0 sin d cos 3

3
sin
d d

0 0

1 I o2
Prad o 2
2 r

3
sin

cos3
cos

1
1
1 1
3
3

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

Pn ,

P r , ,
Pmax

1 I o2 4
4
2
Prad o 2 2 o I o
3
2 r 3

1 I o2
P r , , o 2 sin 2
2 r

cos3
sin d cos 3
3

We make use of the formula

Pmax

1 I o2
o 2
2 r

Pn , sin 2

cos3 0
cos 0

2 4

3 3

Find (5) Beam Width

1
sin 2 HP
2

Pn , sin
2

sin HP

1
2

HP,1 45o and HP ,2 135o

HP ,2 135o

sin HP

HP ,1 45o Pn 0.5

Beamwidth BW 135o 45o 90o

BW 90o

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

p Pn , d
P sin sin d d
2

sin

sin

(7) directivity Dmax

Dmax

4 4 2

1.5
P 8 3
3

8
4
d 2
3
3

Pn 0.5

(8) Half-power Pattern Solid Angle p,HP (Integrate over the beamwidth!)
p , HP Pn , d
P , HP sin sin d d
2

135o

cos3
3
sin

cos

o
3

45

1
1

2 6 2

1
1

2 62

o sin d d o sin d
45
45

2 135o

135o

45o

135o

5 2
5
d
2

3
3 2

cos3 135o
cos3 45 o
o
cos 45

cos 135

3
3

2
2
10
5

2 6 2 6 2 3 2

Power radiated through the beam width

PBW

P , HP
P

5 2
5 2
3
0.88 (or) 88%
8
8
3

BW

PBW = 88%

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

Prad

1
2

I o2 Rrad

The power dissipated by ohmic losses is

1 2
Pdiss I o Rdiss
2

An antenna efficiency e can be defined as the ratio of the radiated power

to the total power fed to the antenna.
e

Prad
Prad Pdiss

Rrad
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 10 log 10 Gmax

Example
: 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 10 log 10 Gmax 10 log 10 3.2 5.05