Antenna and Wave propagation

EEC 241 &EET 237

Chapter (2)

Fundamental Parameters of Antenna

Prepared by :
Dr. Amaal Ashraf
 Class Participation
Class Participation 15 %

Section 10 %

Quizzes and Assignments 15 %

Mid-term examination 20 %

Final-term examination 40 %

Total 100 %

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 Text Books

• C. Balanis,“Antenna Theory: Analysis and Design” , 4th

Edition, John Wiley & Sons, 2016.

• W. Stutzman, G. Thiele, “Antenna Theory and Design”,

3rd Edition, John Wiley & Sons, 2013.

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 Chapter Contents
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Radiation Pattern
2.3 Radiation Power Density
2.4 Radiation Power Intensity
2.5 Beamwidth
2.6 Directivity
2.7 Input Impedance
2.8 Antenna Efficiency
2.9 Antenna Gain
2.10 Antenna Bandwidth
2.11 Polarization
2.12 Antenna Equivalent Aperture (Effective Area)
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 2.1 Introduction
• Antenna Parameters are such parameters that describe the properties of the
antenna and by which we can distinguish between each of them.
• Some of the parameters are interrelated, therefore not all of the parameters
are needed for complete description of the antenna performance.

• Antenna Parameters include:

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2.1 Introduction (continued)
Antenna Parameters

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Antenna EEC 241 & EET 237 7
 2.2 Radiation Pattern
• Definition: Radiation pattern is a graphical representation of the radiation
properties of the antenna as a function of space coordinates such as (r, θ, φ)
as shown in Fig. 2.1.
• The radiation property of most concern is the two- or three dimensional
spatial distribution of radiated energy.
• In most cases, the radiation pattern is determined in the far field region and
is represented as a function of the directional coordinates.
• Radiation properties include power flux density, radiation intensity, field
strength, directivity, phase or polarization.
Examples:
• Trace of the received power at a constant radius is called the Power pattern.
• A graph of the spatial variation of the electric or magnetic field along a constant
radius is called a Field pattern.
- Trace of the amplitude of the field strength at a constant radius is called the
Amplitude pattern.
- A graph of phase of the electric (or magnetic) field along a constant radius is called a
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Phase Pattern.
2.2 Radiation Pattern (continued)

Figure 2.1 Coordinate system for antenna analysis.

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 2.2 Radiation Pattern (continued)
• Field pattern: A plot of the magnitude of the electric 𝐸 or magnetic field
𝐻 on linear scale.

• Power pattern : A plot of the square of the electric 𝐸 2 or magnetic field

𝐻 2 on linear scale or decibel (dB, 20 log 𝐸 )

Figure 2.2 Radiation Pattern

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2.2 Radiation Pattern (continued)
2.2.1 Radiation Pattern Lobes
 Major or main lobe
 Minor lobes
 Side lobe
 back lobes.

Figure 2.3 (a) Radiation lobes and beamwidths of an antenna pattern. (b) Linear plot of power pattern and its
associated lobes and beamwidths.
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2.2 Radiation Pattern (continued)
2.2.2 Isotropic, Directional, and Omnidirectional Patterns
1. Isotropic radiator : is a hypothetical lossless antenna having equal radiation
in all directions.
• A point source is an example of such a radiator as shown in Fig.2.2.
• The isotropic radiator or the point source is ideal and not physically
realizable.
• Isotropic Pattern: An antenna pattern is defined by uniform radiation in all
directions (forming a sphere), it is produced by an isotropic radiator (point
source, it’s anon-physical antenna).

Figure 2.4 An isotropic pattern.

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2.2 Radiation Pattern (continued)
2.2.2 Isotropic, Directional, and Omnidirectional Patterns
2. A Directional Antenna : is an antenna having the property of radiating or
receiving electromagnetic waves more effectively in some directions than in
others as shown in Fig. 2.5.

Figure. 2.5 Radiation Pattern of a Directional Antenna.

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 2.2 Radiation Pattern (continued)
2.2.2 Isotropic, Directional, and Omnidirectional Patterns
3. An Omni directional Radiation Pattern is the radiation pattern which is
essentially non directional in azimuth but directional in elevation. It is a
special type of a directional pattern as shown in Fig. 2.6.
• This Fig. 2.6 is non directional in the azimuth plane [𝑓 ∅ , 𝜃 = 𝜋/2] and
directional in the elevation plane [𝑔 𝜃 , ∅ = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡] . This sort of
pattern is designated as Omnidirectional.
• Omnidirectional Pattern is a pattern which is uniform (isotropic) in a given
plane and directional in the perpendicular plane.

Figure 2.6 An Omnidirectional Radiation Pattern.

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 2.2 Radiation Pattern (continued)
2.2.4 Field Regions
• The space surrounding an antenna is usually subdivided into three regions
shown in Figure 2.7.
(a) reactive near-field
(b) radiating near-field (Fresnel)
(c) far-field (Fraunhofer) region

Figure 2.8 Field regions of an antenna.

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 2.2 Radiation Pattern (continued)
2.2.4 Field Regions
• Reactive near-field region is the region immediately surrounding the
antenna wherein the reactive field predominates. For most antennas, the
outer boundary of this region is commonly taken to exist at a distance, R
from the antenna surface. 𝑅 < 0.62 𝐷3 𝜆

where λ is the wavelength and D is the largest dimension of the antenna.

• Radiating near-field (Fresnel) is the region of the field of an antenna
between the reactive near-field region and the far-field region wherein
radiation fields predominate and wherein the angular field distribution is
dependent upon the distance from the antenna. The boundaries are taken to
be the distance R, 0.62 𝐷3 𝜆 ≤ 𝑅 < 2 𝐷2 𝜆

• Far-field (Fraunhofer) is the region of the field of an antenna where the

angular field distribution is essentially independent of the distance from the
antenna. the boundary of this region is taken to exist at a distance, R from
the antenna surface. 𝑅 ≥ 2 𝐷2 𝜆
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 Example
For the half wave dipole antenna operating at frequency, f =1GHz do the following:
i) Define and calculate the three field regions.
ii) A point P in space at a radial distance of 30cm. What is the type of radiated power?
Solution:
1) Reactive near field region: the outer boundary of this region is commonly taken to exist at a
distance, R1, From the antenna surface as:
𝑅1 < 0.62 𝐷3 𝜆 = 0.62 (𝜆/2)3 𝜆 = 0.22 𝜆 = 0.22*30 = 6.6 cm
2) Radiating near-field (Fresnel) region: The boundaries of that region is taken to be, R2, From
the antenna surface as:
R1 ≤ 𝑅2 < 2 𝐷2 𝜆 0.22 𝜆 ≤ 𝑅2 < 𝜆/2 or 6.6 𝑐𝑚 ≤ 𝑅2 < 15 𝑐𝑚

3) Far-field (Fraunhofer) region: The boundaries of that region is taken to be, R3, From the
antenna surface as:
𝑅3 ≥ 2𝐷2 𝜆 ≥ 𝜆/2 ≥ 15 𝑐𝑚
ii) For RP= 30 cm = 𝜆, so the point P is located in the far field region and the radiated power is
totally real.

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 2.2 Radiation Pattern (continued)
2.2.5 Radian and Steradian
• The radian : is the measure of a plane angle. One radian is defined as the plane
angle with its vertex at the center of a circle of radius r that is subtended by an arc
whose length is r. There are 2π radians in a full circle (2πr), as shown in Fig. 2.8.
• The steradian: is the measure of a solid angle. One steradian is defined as the solid
angle with its vertex at the center of a sphere of radius r that is subtended by a
spherical surface area equal to that of a square with each side of length r. the area of
a sphere of radius r is A = 4πr2, there are 4π sr (4πr2/r2) in a closed sphere.

Fig. 2.9 Geometric definition for a: (a) radian and (b) steradian.

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 2.2 Radiation Pattern (continued)
2.2.5 Radian and Steradian
• The infinitesimal area dA on the surface of a sphere of radius r, shown in
Figure 2.10, is given by

• Therefore, the element of solid angle dΩ of a sphere can be written as

Fig. 2.10 The differential volume element of a

right-handed spherical coordinate system.

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Example

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 2.2 Radiation Pattern (continued)
2.2.6 Half Power Beam Width (HPBW):
• It is defined as “ in a plane containing the direction of the maximum of a
beam, the angle between the two directions in which the radiation intensity
is one half the maximum value of the beam“ some times called the 3-dB
beam width as shown in Fig. 2.11.

Fig. 2.11 Beamwidth of an antenna pattern (polar plot) (a) E-Field; (b) Power .
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2.2 Radiation Pattern (continued)
2.2.6 Half Power Beam Width (continued)

Fig. 2.11 (c) Beamwidth of an antenna pattern (linear plot).

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 2.2 Radiation Pattern (continued)
2.2.6 Half Power Beam Width (continued)
• Two-dimensional field, power and decibel plots of the 3-D antenna pattern
of Fig .2.11 (a and b) by taking a slice through the middle of the 3-
dimensional pattern results in the 2-dimensional pattern as shown in Fig.
2.11 (c).
• It is a field pattern (proportional to the electric field E in V/m) with
normalized relative field En(θ) =1 at θ= 0o.
• The half- power beam width (HPBW) = 40o is measured at the E =0.707
level of the field pattern as in Fig. 2.11 (a).
• Fig. 2.11 (b). Is a power plot (proportional to E2) with relative power Pn
=1 at θ=0o and with HPBW =40o as before and measured at the Pn=0.5 Ievel.
• A decibel (dB) plot of Fig. 2.11 (a) is shown at Fig. 2.11 (c) with HPBW=
40o as before and measured at the −3 dB level.
• The first side lobes are shown at the −9dB and second side lobes at
−13dB. Decibel plots are useful for showing minor lobe levels.
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 Examples
Example (1) An antenna has a field pattern given by E(θ) = cos2θ for 0o ≤ θ ≤ 90o Find
the Half Power Beam Width (HPBW).
Solution

Example(2) An antenna has a field pattern given by E(θ) = cosθ cos2θ for 0o ≤ θ ≤ 90o
Find:
a) The Half Power Beam Width (HPBW).
b) The First Nulls Beam Width (FNBW).

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 2.3 RADIATION POWER DENSITY
• Electromagnetic waves are used to transport information through a wireless medium
or a guiding structure, from one point to the other. It is then natural to assume that
power and energy are associated with electromagnetic fields.
• The quantity used to describe the power associated with an electromagnetic wave is
the instantaneous Poynting vector defined as

• Since the Poynting vector is a power density, the total power crossing a closed
surface can be obtained by integrating the normal component of the Poynting vector
over the entire surface. In equation form

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• For applications of time-varying fields, it is often more desirable to find the average
power density which is obtained by integrating the instantaneous Poynting vector
over one period and dividing by the period.
• For time-harmonic variations of the form ejωt , we define the complex fields E and
H which are related to their instantaneous counterparts and by

where

• The first term is not a function of time, and the time variations of the second are
twice the given frequency. The time average Poynting vector (average power
density) can be written as

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• A close observation of eq. above may raise a question. If the real part of ( E × H∗ )/2
represents the average (real) power density, what does the imaginary part of the
same quantity represent?
• At this point it will be very natural to assume that the imaginary part must represent
the reactive (stored) power density associated with the electromagnetic fields.
• The average power radiated by an antenna (radiated power) can be written as

• Thus the total power radiated by it is given by

• The power density by

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 Example
The radial component of the radiated power density of an antenna is given by

where A0 is the peak value of the power density, θ is the usual spherical coordinate, and
ˆar is the radial unit vector. Determine the total radiated power.

Solution: For a closed surface, a sphere of radius r is chosen. To find the total radiated
power, the radial component of the power density is integrated over its surface.

A three-dimensional normalized plot of the average power

density at a distance of r = 1 m is shown in Figure.

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 2.4 Radiation Intensity
• Radiation intensity in a given direction is defined as “the power radiated from an
antenna per unit solid angle.” The radiation intensity is a far-field parameter, and it
can be obtained by simply multiplying the radiation density by the square of the
distance.
• In mathematical form it is expressed as

where
U = radiation intensity (W/unit solid angle or W/Ω)
Wrad = radiation density (W/m2)
• The total power radiated from an antenna is obtained by integrating the radiation
intensity, over the entire solid angle of 4π.

where dΩ = element of solid angle = sinθ dθ dφ.

• For anisotropic source U will be independent of the angles θ and φ, as was the case
for Prad. Thus eqn. Above can be written as

• The radiation intensity of an isotropic source

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241 & EET 31
 2.4 Radiation Intensity (continued)
Example 2.8: If the radial component of the radiated power density of an antenna is:

Find the radiation intensity, U and the total radiated power, Prad.
Solution:
The radiation intensity, U is:

The total power radiated from an antenna is given by:

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 2.5 Beamwidth
• In a plane containing the direction of the maximum of a beam, the angle between the
two directions in which the radiation intensity is one-half value of the beam called
the Half-Power Beamwidth (HPBW ).
• Sometimes it is called the 3 dB beamwidth. HPBW = 2│θmax-θh│.
• Another important beamwidth is the angular separation between the first nulls of the
pattern, and it is referred to as the First-Null Beamwidth (FNBW ).

Antenna
Fig. 2.12 Half Power and EECNull
First 241 &Beamwidthes
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2.5 Beamwidth (continued)

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