ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVE

PROPAGATION
EC 442
Prof. Darwish Abdel Aziz
 CHAPTER 6

LINEAR WIRE ANTENNAS

INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
 INTRODUCTION

 Wire antennas, linear or curved, are some of the

oldest, simplest, cheapest, and in many cases the
most versatile for many applications.

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
1 - INTRODUCTION

 An infinitesimal linear wire is positioned

symmetrically at the origin of the coordinate system
as shown in Figure (6-1).

Figure 6-1 Infinitesimal dipole

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE

• Although infinitesimal dipoles are not very practical, they are

used to represent capacitor – plate ( also referred to as top-
hat-loaded) antennas.

• In addition, they are utilized as building blocks of more

complex geometries.

• The end plates are used to provide capacitive loading in

order to maintain the current on the dipole nearly uniform.
• Since the end plates are assumed to be small, their radiation
is usually negligible.
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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
2 – CURRENT DISTRIBUTION

• The wire, in addition to being very small , is very

thin .

• The spatial variation of the current is assumed to be

constant and it current element is given by

Where, .

•May,The
2015
remaining two equations
Prof. Darwish
are unchanged from 6
 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
3 – RADIATION EQUATIONS

• Since

• So,

and

Where, and
and
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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
3 – RADIATION EQUATIONS
• So

and,

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
4 – AUXILIARY VECTOR POTENTIAL FUNCTION
• So the electric vector potential components are:

• While the magnetic vector potential components are:

and

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
5 – THE RADIATED FIELD COMPONENTS
• The Magnetic Field Components can be found as follows:

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
5 – THE RADIATED FIELD COMPONENTS
and

• The Electric Field Components can be found as follows:

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
5 – THE RADIATED FIELD COMPONENTS
So

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
5 – THE RADIATED FIELD COMPONENTS
and

and

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
6 – THE RADIAL AND TRANSVERSE POWER DENSITY

• For the infinitesimal dipole, the complex Poynting vector

can be written using (6-6a) - (6-6b) and (6-8a) - (6-8c) as

Whose radial and transverse components are given,

respectively, by

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
7 – THE RADIAL POWER

• The complex power moving in the radial direction is

obtained by integrating (6-9) – (6-10b) over a closed sphere
of radius . Thus it can be written as

which reduces to

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
8 – THE REACTIVE POWER

• The transverse component of the power density does not

contribute to the integral. Thus (6-12) does not represent
the total complex power radiated by the antenna.

• Since , as given by (6-11b), is purely imaginary, it will not

contribute to any real radiated power.

• However, it does contribute to the imaginary (reactive)

power which along with the second term of (6-12) can be
used to determine the total reactive power of the antenna.

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
9 – THE TOTAL OUTWARDLY RADIAL POWER

• The reactive power density, which is most dominant for

small values of , has both radial and transverse
components.

• Equation (6-11b), which gives the real and imaginary

power that is moving outwardly, can also be written as

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
9 – THE TOTAL OUTWARDLY RADIAL POWER

Where

From (6-12)

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
9 – THE TOTAL OUTWARDLY RADIAL POWER

• It is clear from (6-15) that the radial electric energy must

be larger than the radial magnetic energy.

• For large values of , the reactive

power diminishes and vanishes when .

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
10 – RADIAN DISTANCE AND RADIAN SPHERE

 for infinitesimal dipole, as represented

by (6- 6a) - (6- 6c) and (6- 8a) - (6- 8b), are valid everywhere
(except on the source itself). An inspection of these
equations reveals the following:

• At a distance ,

which is referred to as the radian distance,

the magnitude of the first and second terms within the
brackets of (6-6c) and (6-8a) is the same.

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
10 – RADIAN DISTANCE AND RADIAN SPHERE

Also at the radian distance the magnitude of all three terms

within the bracket of (6 – 8b) is identical; the only term that
contributes to the total field is the second, because the first
and third terms cancel each other.

• At distances less than the radian distance ,

the magnitude of the second term within the brackets of

(6 - 6c) and (6 – 8a) is greater than the first term and begins
to dominate as .

o
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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
10 – RADIAN DISTANCE AND RADIAN SPHERE

For (6-8b) and , the magnitude of the third term

within the brackets is greater than the magnitude of the
first and second terms while the magnitude of the second
term is greater than that of the first one; each of these terms
begins to dominate as .

The near-field region, is defined as the region

, and the energy in that

region is basically imaginary (stored).

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
10 – RADIAN DISTANCE AND RADIAN SPHERE

• At distances greater than the radian distance ,

The first term within the brackets of (6-6c) and (6-8a) is

greater than the magnitude of the second term and begins to
dominate as .

For (6-8b) and , the first term within the brackets is

greater than the magnitude of the second and third terms
while the magnitude of the second term is greater than that of
the third; each of these terms begins to dominate as .

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
10 – RADIAN DISTANCE AND RADIAN SPHERE

The intermediate - field region is defined as the region

The far- field region is defined as the region

, and the energy in that region

is basically real (radiated).

• The radian sphere is defined as the sphere with radius

equal to the radian distance .

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
10 – RADIAN DISTANCE AND RADIAN SPHERE

• The radian sphere defines the region within which the

reactive power density is greater than the radiated power
density.

For an antenna, the radian sphere represents the volume

occupied mainly by the stored energy of the antenna’s
electric and magnetic fields.

Outside the radian sphere the radiated power density is

greater than the reactive power density and begins to
dominate as .
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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
10 – RADIAN DISTANCE AND RADIAN SPHERE

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
10 – RADIAN DISTANCE AND RADIAN SPHERE

• The radian sphere can be used as a reference, and it defines

the transition between stored energy pulsating primarily in
the direction [represented by (6-10b)] and energy
radiating in the radial direction [represented by (6-10a); the
second term represents stored energy pulsating inwardly
and outwardly in the radial direction].

• Similar behavior, where the power density near the antenna

is primarily reactive and far away is primarily real, is
exhibited by all antennas, although not exactly at .
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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
11 – NEAR FIELD REGION
• An inspection of (6-6a)- (6-6b) and (6-8a)- (6-8c) reveals
that for or they can be reduced in much
simpler form and can be approximated by

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
11 – NEAR FIELD REGION

• The components, are in time- phase but

they are time- phase quadrature with the
component ; therefore there is no time-average power
flow associated with them. This is demonstrated by forming
the time- average power density as

which by using (6-16a)- (6-16d) reduces to

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
12 – INTERMEDIATE FIELD REGION

• As the values of begin to increase and become greater

than unity, the terms that were dominant for become
smaller and eventually vanish. For moderate values of
the components lose their in-phase condition and
approach time-phase quadrature. Since their magnitude is
not the same, in general, they form a rotating vector whose
extremity traces an ellipse.

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
12 – INTERMEDIATE FIELD REGION

• At these intermediate values of , components

approach time-phase, which is an indication of the
formation time-average power flow in the outward (radial)
direction (radiation phenomenon).

• As the values of become moderate , the field

expression can be approximated again but in a different
form. In contrast to the region where , the first term
within the brackets in (6-6b) and (6-8a) becomes more
dominant and the second term can be neglected.
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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
12 – INTERMEDIATE FIELD REGION

• The same is true for (6-8b) where the second and third
terms become less dominant than the first.

• Thus we can write for

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
13 – FAR - FIELD REGION

• Since (6-19a) - (6-19d) are valid only for values of ,

then will be smaller than because is inversely
proportional to where is inversely proportional to .

• In a region where , (6-19a) - (6-19d) can be simplified

and approximated by

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
13 – FAR - FIELD REGION

• The ratio of to is equal to

where

The components are perpendicular to each

other, transverse to the radial direction of propagation, and
the variations are separable from of variations.

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
13 – FAR - FIELD REGION

• The shape of the pattern is not a function of the radial

distance , and the fields form a Transverse ElectroMagnetic

(TEM) wave whose wave impedance is equal to the intrinsic
impedance of the medium.

• As it will become even more evident, this relationship is

applicable in the far-field region of all antennas of finite
dimensions.

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
14 – FAR FIELD RADIATED COMPONENTS

• The far field components of (6-20a) - (6-20c) can also

be derived using the procedure outlined and
relationships developed in chapter-5 of auxiliary
vector potential functions.

• The far field radiated components using the radiation

equations can be
written as:

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
14 – FAR FIELD RADIATED COMPONENTS

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
15 – POWERE DENSITY AND RADIATION RESISTANCE
• The input impedance of an antenna, which consists of real
and imaginary parts as discussed in Chapter- 4 (Fundamental
Parameters of Antenna).
• For a lossless antenna, the real of the input impedance was
designated as radiation resistance, through which the
radiated power is transferred from the guided wave to the
free space wave.
• To find the input resistance for a lossless antenna, it is
required to find the time average poynting vector as

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
15 – POWERE DENSITY AND RADIATION RESISTANCE

• The total radiated power in the radial direction is

obtained by integrating (6-23e) over a closed sphere of
radius . Thus it can be written as:

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
15 – POWERE DENSITY AND RADIATION RESISTANCE

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
15 – POWERE DENSITY AND RADIATION RESISTANCE

• Since the antenna radiates its real power through the

radiation resistance, for the infinitesimal dipole it can be
written that

• For free space medium, , where is the

intrinsic impedance, so

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
16 – DIRECTIVITY
• As was shown before, the average power density
of the infinitesimal dipole is given by (6-23e) as

• As was discussed in Chapter- 4 (Fundamental Parameters

of Antenna), the radiation intensity can be obtained from

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
16 – DIRECTIVITY
• The maximum value of the radiation intensity occurs
at and it is equal to

• The real power radiated by the infinitesimal dipole is

given by (6-24e) as

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 INFINITESIMAL DIPOLE
16 – DIRECTIVITY
• As was discussed in Chapter- 4 (Fundamental Parameters
of Antenna), the directivity is given as

• As was discussed in Chapter- 4 (Fundamental Parameters

of Antenna), for lossless antenna, the relation between the
directivity and the maximum effective aperture area is
given as

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