UNIT 1 FUNDAMENTALS OF

RADIATION

Definition of antenna parameters: Radiation

pattern, Beam solid angle, Radiation Intensity,
Gain, Directivity, Antenna aperture, Radiation
Resistance, Input Impedance. Matching- Baluns –
Polarization mismatch – Antenna noise
temperature – Radiation from Hertizian dipole –
Half wave dipole and Folded dipole.
 HISTORY
Who Invented First Antenna

The first antenna were built in 1888 by

German physicist Heinrich Hertz.
 Antenna

Its Converts electron to photon or vice

versa,

Its converts electromagnetic energy in

to AC or vice versa.
Introduction to Radiation
Definition of Antenna
Parameters
1. Radiation pattern.
2. Beam solid angle.
3. Radiation Intensity.
4. Gain.
5. Directivity.
6. Antenna aperture.
7. Radiation Resistance.
8. Input Impedance.
9. Antenna noise temperature.
Radiation pattern
The radiation pattern of antenna is a
representation (pictorial or mathematical) of the
distribution of the power out-flowing (radiated)
from the antenna (in the case of transmitting
antenna), or inflowing (received) to the antenna
(in the case of receiving antenna) as a function
of direction angles from the antenna.
Beam solid angle
The radiated beam of the antenna comes out
from an angle at the antenna, known as solid
angle, where the power radiation intensity is
maximum. This beam solid angle is termed as
the beam area. It is represented by ΩA.

beam solid angle or beam area

The radiation intensity P (θ, Ø) should be
maintained constant and maximum throughout
the solid beam angle ΩA, its value being zero
elsewhere.
Radiation Intensity
Radiation intensity in a given direction is the
power per unit solid angle radiated in this
direction by the antenna.
(Or)
The intensity of radiation is defined as the rate
of emitted energy from unit surface area
through unit solid angle.
Gain

Antenna gain is the ability of the antenna to

radiate more or less in any direction compared
to a theoretical antenna.
If an antenna could be made as a perfect sphere, it
would radiate equally in all directions. Such an
antenna is theoretically called an isotropic
antenna and does not in fact exist.

However, its mathematical model is used as a

standard of comparison for the gain of a real
antenna.
Directivity
Directivity is the measure of the
concentration of an antennas's radiation
pattern in a particular direction. Directivity is
expressed in dB. The higher the directivity, the
more concentrated or focussed is the beam
radiated by an antenna. A higher directivity also
means that the beam will travel further.
 An antenna that radiated equally well in all
directions would be omni-directional and have a
directivity of 1 (0 dB).
Directivity (Continued)
A high directivity is not always better, for example,
many applications like mobile devices require omni-
directional antennas and thus require antennas with a
low/no directivity.

High-directivity antennas are used in permanent

installations such as satellite television, wireless backhaul
etc. as they need to transmit and receive information
over longer distances, in a particular direction.
Again - Gain
Gain is the product of directivity and efficiency.

Where efficiency accounts for the losses on the

antenna such as manufacturing faults, surface
coating losses, dielectric, resistance, VSWR, or
any other factor.
Antenna aperture
An Antenna with an aperture at the
end can be termed as an Aperture antenna.

Aperture of an Antenna is the area through

which the power is radiated or received.
• Concept of Apertures is most simply
introduced by considering a Receiving
Antenna.

• Waveguide is an example of aperture antenna.

• The edge of a transmission line when

terminated with an opening, radiates energy.
This opening which is an aperture, makes it
an Aperture antenna.
The main types of aperture antennas are

Wave guide antenna

Horn antenna

Slot antenna
Other Names
Effective Aperture

Effective Area

Capture Area
Radiation Resistance
The radiation resistance of an antenna is defined
as the equivalent resistance that would dissipate
the same amount of power as is radiated by the
antenna. (Or) in simple words

It is a fictitious resistance, when it is

substituted in series with the antenna will
consume the same power as is actually radiated.
Continued

Generally For Any conductor,

Electrical resistance.

In Antenna,
Radiation resistance
and
Ohmic(Loss) resistance.
Continued
The energy depleted by loss resistance is
converted to heat radiation; the energy lost by
radiation resistance is converted to radio waves.

The total of radiation resistance and loss

resistance is the electrical resistance of the
antenna.
 Input Impedance
Antenna Impedance is
presented as the ratio of
voltage to current at the
antenna's terminals.
Antenna noise temperature

Antenna Temperature (TA) is a measure of

the noise being produced by an antenna in
a given environment.
Continued

This is also called an Antenna Noise

Temperature. It is not the physical
temperature of the antenna.
Continued

This temperature depends of the gain,

radiation pattern and the noise that the
antenna picks up from the surrounding
environment.
 The noise power received from an
antenna at temperature can be expressed
in terms of the bandwidth (B) the antenna
(and its receiver) are operating over:

PTA = K.TAB
PTA = Noise Power Received from an Antenna.
TA = antenna Noise Temperature.
B = Bandwidth

TS = TA + TR
Polarization Mismath
POLARIZATION

41
 Types of Polarization

• Linear polarization
• Circular polarization
• Elliptical Polarization

42
Vertically linear polarized electric field

Horizontally linear polarized electric field

 Applications of Linear Polarization

• Horizontal polarization is used in TV and FM Broadcasting.

• Vertical polarization is mostly used in Mobile & radio signal.

 Circular polarization
• The E & H have same magnitude.
• The two components must have a phase difference of odd multiples of 90.
• E& H-field vector direction rotates circularly
 Circular polarization
• Circular polarization is mostly used in satellite
Communication.
 Elliptical polarization
• The Ex & Ey have different magnitude & phase.
• E-field sweeps out ellipse
– both magnitude and direction change with time
POLARIZATION MISMATCH
In General, the polarization of the receiving
antenna will not be the same as the polarization
of the incoming (incident) wave. This is referred
to as “Polarization Mismatch”.

The amount of power extracted by the antenna

from the incoming signal will not be maximum
because of the polarization loss.
Polarization Loss Factor

The Polarization Loss Factor is sometimes

referred to as polarization efficiency,
antenna mismatch factor, or antenna
receiving factor. All of these names refer to
the same concept.