ELEC417 - Circuits Synthesis

Chapter 2:
Positive Real Functions
Dr. Amal ABDEL RAZZAC
amal_abdelrazzak@hotmail.com

Lebanese University - Fall 2022/2023 1

Introduction
▪ The synthesis of a driving point immittance (i.e. admittance or
impedance) of a dipole using passive R, L and C components is only
possible if this immitance is a positive real function

Lebanese University - Fall 2022/2023 2

Definition
▪ A function 𝐹(𝑠) is positive real if the following conditions are satisfied:

1. 𝐹(𝑠) is real for real 𝑠 (i.e. for 𝑠 = 𝛼).

2. The real part of 𝐹(𝑠) is greater than or equal to zero when the real part of s is greater than or
equal to zero,
i.e., ℜ𝑒 𝐹 𝑠 ≥ 0 for 𝛼 ≥ 0 for 𝑠 = 𝛼 + 𝑗𝜔

Discussion:
The first condition is easy to prove for a given function 𝐹(𝑠)
The second condition requires to find ℜ𝑒 𝐹 𝑠 for the general parameter 𝑠 = 𝛼 + 𝑗𝜔
Which is not always easy to do → This condition is substituted by a test of necessary and sufficient
conditions (slide 5)

Lebanese University - Fall 2022/2023 3

Properties of Positive Real Functions
1
1. If 𝐹(𝑠) is a positive real function then is also positive real.
𝐹 𝑠

2. If 𝐹(𝑠) and 𝐺(𝑠) are positive real functions then 𝑎𝐹 𝑠 + 𝑏𝐺(𝑠) is a positive real function (with 𝑎 ≥ 0, b ≥ 0)

3. The poles and zeros of a positive real function:

▪ cannot have positive real parts → they cannot be in the right half of the s plane.
▪ are real or occur in conjugate pairs (Note: otherwise 𝐹(𝑠) cannot be real when 𝑠 is real)

4. Pure imaginary poles should be simple and their residues is real positive.
1
▪ Residue is the coefficient of the term 𝑠−𝑃 obtained for the considered pole 𝑃 when the partial fraction
decomposition of the function is done → residue of this simple pole 𝑃 is 𝐴 = 𝑠 − 𝑃 𝐹(𝑠) for 𝑠 = 𝑃
1
**** The same holds for the pure imaginary poles of 𝐹 𝑠

5. The highest powers of the numerator and denominator polynomials may differ at most by unity. →This condition
prevents the possibility of multiple poles and zeros at 𝑠 = ∞.

6. The lowest powers of the denominator and numerator polynomials may differ by at most unity. → Hence, a positive real
function has neither multiple poles nor zeros at the origin. Lebanese University - Fall 2022/2023 4
Necessary and Sufficient Conditions
for a Positive Real Function
▪ All the coefficients of the numerator and denominator polynomials are real and positive.
▪ The highest powers of the numerator and denominator polynomials can at most differ by
one.
▪ The lowest powers of the numerator and denominator polynomials can at most differ by
one.
▪ The numerator and denominator of 𝐹(𝑠) are Hurwitz (check chapter 1)
▪ The pure imaginary poles of 𝐹(𝑠) are simple and the residues evaluated at these poles are
real and positive.
▪ The real part of 𝐹(𝑠) at real frequencies 𝒔 = 𝒋𝝎 is greater or equal to 0 (check chapter 1 to
find this real part)

Lebanese University - Fall 2022/2023 5

Examples
• Test if the following functions are positive real
3𝑠2 +5
a. 𝑠(𝑠2 +1)
𝑠(𝑠2 +6)
b. 𝑠2 +2 2
10 𝑠+1 2
c. (𝑠+2)(𝑠2 −6𝑠+5)
𝑠2 +1
d. 𝑠(𝑠2 +4)
𝑠3 +3𝑠2 +4𝑠+12
e. 𝑠3 +5𝑠2 +9𝑠+5
2𝑠3 +2𝑠2 +3𝑠+2
f. 𝑠2 +1

Lebanese University - Fall 2022/2023 6