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Antennas

Problem set 5

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Problem 1. An antenna is illuminated by a plane electromagnetic wave with linear

polarization that propagates along the dˆ i   xˆ direction. Suppose that the electric field makes

the angle of 60º with the y axis and has amplitude Einc  0.1V / m . The effective length of

the receiving antenna in the direction of arrival of the incoming wave is h er  zˆ  m  .

(a) Find the open-circuit voltage at the antenna terminals.

Solution
The voltage induced at the antenna terminals when they are in open-circuit is:
V oc  h er  Einc
0

Here, Einc
0 is the incident electric, which must be perpendicular to dˆ i   xˆ because the

incoming wave is transverse electromagnetic (TEM). This means that:

inc inc
0  E1 y  E 2 z
Einc ˆ ˆ
inc inc
Since the wave is linearly polarized, it is necessary that the components E1 , E 2 are either in
phase or in opposition of phase:

   arg  E 
arg E1
inc inc
2    arg  E   
or arg E1
inc inc
2 [linear polarization]

This is equivalent to say that Einc

0 is real-valued apart from an overall phase factor:

0  e  E1 y  E2 z  with E1 , E2
j
Einc inc
ˆ inc
ˆ inc inc
real-valued.

Using the fact that the electric field makes an angle of 60º with the y-axis, it follows that:

0  e E0  cos 60 y  sin 60 z 
j
Einc º
ˆ º
ˆ

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where E0  E12  E22  Einc

0  0.1[V / m] (there is not enough information in the wording of

the problem to decide which of the signs  is the correct one). Hence, using h er  zˆ one finds

that:
V oc   e j E0 sin 60º   e j 0.1sin 60º   e j 0.087 V 

In conclusion, the open-circuit voltage amplitude is V oc  87  mV  .

(b) Represent the equivalent circuit of the antenna and identify all the parameters that are part
of the circuit. Suppose that the antenna impedance is Z a  70 .

Solution:
I 0

V VL

Z L is the load impedance, connected at the antenna terminals.

(c) Find the power delivered to a load of 50 .

Solution:
From the equivalent circuit, it is possible to show that the power delived to the load is given
by the general formula (see the lecture notes)
Pr  Ci  Pr opt

4 Ra RL
Ci 
 Ra  RL    X a  X L 
2 2

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2
V oc
where  Pr opt  is the power received by a matched load [maximum power that can be
8 Ra

extracted by the antenna from a given incident wave] (in the above, Z a  Ra  jX a and

Z L  RL  jX L ).
2
V oc 0.087 2
Substituting values:  Pr opt    13.51W
8 Ra 8  70
4 Ra RL 4  50  70
Ci    0.972
 Ra  RL    X a  X L   50  70 
2 2 2

Thus, the received power is Pr  0.972 13.51W  13.13W

Problem 2.
A short-dipole with length L  0.01m is illuminated by a plane wave with electric field
amplitude E  8 15 [V/m]. The oscillation frequency is 300/ [Hz].

(a) Find the power incident on the antenna per unit of area.
Solution:
The Poynting vector intensity (i.e., the power density) is:

8 
2
E
2
15 64  15
S inc     4W / m2
20 2  120 2  120
(b) What is the directivity and maximum of the effective area of the antenna? Ignore losses.
Solution:
For an short dipole oriented along the z-direction:
D short-dipole  1.5 (same result as for an Hertz dipole)

The antenna effective area (parameter of the receiving antenna) can be related to the power
gain ( G ) (parameter of the transmitting antenna) through the universal formula:
02 2
Aef  ,    G  ,    0 e g  ,   .
4 4
In the last identity, we used G  e g with e the antenna efficiency and g the directive gain.
From here, the maximum effective area is
02 2 2
Aef ,max  max G  0 e max g  0 eD
4 4 4

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In conclusion,
02
Aef ,max  eD
4
For a lossless antenna e=1 and we obtain:
2 2
2 D  c  1.5  3  108  1.5 12
Aef ,max  0 D       10  1.17 1012  m 2  !!!
4 4  f  4  300 /   4

For small frequencies and lossless antennas the maximum effective area can be huge (many

orders of magnitude larger than the physical size of the antenna) because it varies with the

wavelength squared (note that D  1 )!

(c) Suppose that the antenna terminals are connected to a load adjusted to receive the
maximum power, and that the antenna axis is parallel to the incident electric field. What is the
received power? Ignore losses.
Solution:
The received power can be written in terms of the effective area using:
Pr  Ci C p Aef S inc

Here Ci is the impedance matching coefficient, which for a load adjusted to receive the

maximum (conjugated matched load) is Ci  1 . On the other hand, C p is the polarization

matching coefficient defined by:

2
h er  Einc
0
Cp  2 2
h er Einc
0

Because of the reciprocity theorem, the effective height of the receiving antenna is identical to

that of the transmitting antenna:

h er  h e

For a linear antenna, (with axis oriented along z) the effective height is

h e  heθˆ . (effective height of the transmitting antenna)

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2
θˆ  Einc
0
This implies that for the short dipole C p  2
. The direction of maximum gain of the
Einc
0

2
zˆ  Einc
short dipole is   90º . For   90º one has θˆ   zˆ and therefore C p
0
 2
 1,
 90º
Einc
0

where the last identity follows from the fact that the incident electric field is parallel to the

antenna axis (the z-axis).

In summary, in the conditions of the problem (incoming wave arrives along direction of

maximum gain   90º ), the received power is identical to the available power:

Pr  Aef ,max S inc

Substituting values Pr  1.17 1012  4  4.711012 Watt  !!! .

(d) Suppose now that the loss resistance of the antenna is 0.1 . Repeat the previous question.

Comment.

Solution:
Supposing that there is still impedance matching, the formula Pr  Aef ,max S inc still holds true.

02
As before, Aef ,max  eD , but now the antenna efficiency is less than 1 because of the loss.
4

Clearly, we have:

Pr  4.71 1012  e Watt  (same result as before multiplied by the efficiency).

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To find the efficiency, we use:

Rrad 1 2 L2
e , with Rrad  0  2 the radiation resistance of the short
Rrad  RL short-dipole
4 3 0

dipole (1/4 of the radiation resistance of an Hertz dipole).

L2 0.012 2 0.01
2
We have Rrad  20 2  20 2  20  2 1015  .
short-dipole
02 (3 108 / (300  )) 2 ( 106 ) 2

Since this value if much less than the loss resistance, we can write:

Rrad
e  2  1014 . Thus, the received power is:
RL

Pr  0.094 Watt 

which is now a reasonable value. The lesson is: electrically small antennas are greatly

affected even by a small loss.

Rrad
Using e  (which is possible when Rrad  RL ) one may generally find that (using
RL

02
Aef ,max  eD ):
4


1  Rrad 2
1 0 1 0 2

Aef ,max  D 0
D 6 L2  D L
4 RL 4 RL 24 RL

The disproportionaly large factor 02 disappears and in the end the effective area is

determined by the physical dimensions of the dipole ( L2 factor).

Problem 3. A half-wavelength dipole is oriented along the z-direction in free-space. The

antenna is illuminated by a incoming plane wave. The direction of incidence makes an angle

of 30º with respect to the antenna axis. The frequency of operation is 300MHz and the power

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available at the antenna terminals is 100W. Suppose that the antenna impedance is

Z a  73  j 42.5 .

(a) Find the amplitude of the incident electric field.

Solution:
The available power by definition is the power received by an antenna when there is both

impedance ( Ci  1 ) and polarization matching ( C p  1 ).

Pa  Aef S inc

The antenna effective area is given by:

2 2
0 h er 0 h e
Aef  
4 Ra 4 Ra

where the second identity used the reciprocity relation h er  h e . For a dipole antenna, we

know that (sinusoidal current approximation): h e  heθˆ with

 
cos  cos  
2 2 
he   L  /2 
k0 sin 

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
2  300 106
Using   30º and noting that k0    2  m 1  (the free-space
c 3 10 8

wavelength is 0  1m ), one finds that:

 
cos  cos 30º 
2 2   0.13 m
he   30º    
L   /2 2 sin 30º

Hence, the effective area is:

2
0 h e 120 0.13
2

Aef    0.021m 2
4 Ra 4  73

The Poynting vector intensity is then:

Pa 100 106
S inc
   4.65 103 W / m 2  .
Aef 0.021

The intensity of the incident electric field is therefore: E inc  20 S inc  1.87 V / m  .

(b) Suppose that the polarization of the incident wave is linear and the electric field is

contained in a plane   const. . Find the power delivered to a load of 50 .

Solution

We use Pr  Ci C p Aef S inc  Ci C p Pa  Ci C p  100 W . The impedance matching coefficient is:

4 Ra RL 4  50  73
Ci    0.86
 Ra  RL    X a  X L   50  73
2 2 2
 42.52

2
h er  Einc
. For a dipole antenna, h e  heθˆ and
0
The polarization matching coefficient is C p 
r 2 inc 2
h e E 0

hence:

2
θˆ inc  Einc
0
Cp  2
Einc
0

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where θ̂inc is calculated for the direction determined by the incident wave. Since the incoming

ˆ inc  E φˆ inc . In order that the electric field is

0  E 1θ
wave is TEM, one can always write: Einc 2

contained in a plane   const. it is necessary that E 2  0 (incident field is contained in the

incident plane defined by the antenna axis and by the direction of incidence). Thus, in these

conditions:

2
θˆ inc  E1θˆ inc
Cp  2
1
E1θˆ inc

This shows that Pr  0.86 1100W  86W .

(c) Repeat b) for the case in which the incident field is perpendicular to a   const. plane.

Solution

2
θˆ inc  E 2φˆ inc
ˆ inc  E φˆ inc with E  0 . Then, C 
0  E 1θ
In this case, Einc 2 1 p 2
 0 and the received
E 2φˆ inc

power is Pr  0.86  0  100W  0 . The incident electric field is horizontal (perpendicular to

the dipole axis), and due to this reason it does not interact with the antenna.

(d) Repeat b) for the case in which the incident field has right-circular polarization.

Solution

As previously mentioned, the incident field is generically of the form:

ˆ inc  E φˆ inc
0  E 1θ
Einc 2

The polarization of the incident field is

(i) circular when E1  E 2 and arg E1  arg E 2  90º

(ii)  
linear when arg E1  arg E 2      
or arg E1  arg E 2  

(iii) elliptical all the other cases.

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The condition (i) is equivalent to say that E1   jE 2 . One of the signs determines a right-

circular polarization (RCP) and the other a left-circular polarization (LCP), but we do not

ˆ inc  jφˆ inc

0  E1 θ
need to worry at the moment which is which. Substituting Einc   into

2
θˆ inc  Einc
0
Cp  2
, we get:
Einc
0

 
2
θˆ inc  θˆ inc  jφˆ inc 1
2
1
Cp   
θˆ 
2 2 2
inc
 jφˆ inc 1  j 2

The C p coefficient is independent of the sense of rotation of the electric field, i.e.

independent if the polarization is RCP or LCP. Thus, the received power is

Pr  0.86  0.5  100 W  43W ,

which is half the value obtained in question b). Indeed, the φ̂inc component of the incident

field does not interact with the antenna, and hence only half of the incident energy is available

to the antenna.

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