Per-Simon Kildal

Artificially soft and hard surfaces in electromagnetics

A transversely corrugated surface as used in corrugated horn antennas represents a soft boundary. A hard boundary is made by using longitudinal corrugations filled with dielectric material. The concept of soft and hard surfaces is treated in detail, considering different geometries. It is shown that both the hard and soft boundaries have the advantage of a polarization-independent reflection coefficient for geometrical optics ray fields, so that a circularly polarized wave is circularly polarized in the same sense after reflection. The hard boundary can be used to obtain strong radiation fields along a surface for any polarization, whereas the soft boundary makes the fields radiated along the surface zero. >

Correlation and capacity of MIMO systems and mutual coupling, radiation efficiency, and diversity gain of their antennas: simulations and measurements in a reverberation chamber

MIMO systems are characterized by their maximum available capacity, which is reduced if there is correlation between the signals on different channels. The correlation is primarily caused by mutual coupling between the elements of the antenna arrays on both the receiving and transmitting sides. Similarly, diversity antennas can be characterized by a diversity gain that also is affected by mutual coupling between the antennas. We explain how such MIMO and diversity antennas with mutual coupling can be analyzed by classical embedded element patterns that can be computed by standard computer codes. In the MIMO example under investigation, the mutual coupling reduces both correlation, which increases the capacity, and radiation efficiency, which decreases it, and the combined effect is a net capacity reduction. We also explain how the radiation efficiency, diversity gain, correlation, and channel capacity can be measured in a reverberation chamber. The measurements show good agreement with simulations.

Local Metamaterial-Based Waveguides in Gaps Between Parallel Metal Plates

This letter presents a new metamaterial-based waveguide technology referred to as ridge gap waveguides. The main advantages of the ridge gap waveguides compared to hollow waveguides are that they are planar and much cheaper to manufacture, in particular at high frequencies such as for millimeter and sub- millimeter waves. The latter is due to the fact that there are no mechanical joints across which electric currents must float. The gap waveguides have lower losses than microstrip lines, and they are completely shielded by metal so no additional packaging is needed, in contrast to the severe packaging problems associated with microstrip circuits. The gap waveguides are realized in a narrow gap between two parallel metal plates by using a texture or multilayer structure on one of the surfaces. The waves follow metal ridges in the textured surface. All wave propagation in other directions is prohibited (in cutoff) by realizing a high surface impedance (ideally a perfect magnetic conductor) in the textured surface at both sides of all ridges. Thereby, cavity resonances do not appear either within the band of operation. The present letter introduces the gap waveguide and presents some initial simulated results.

Reduction of forward scattering from cylindrical objects using hard surfaces

We discuss how forward scattering can he characterized in terms of an equivalent blockage width, and a relation between this and the bistatic scattering width is derived. Then, we show how cylinders such as struts and masts can be constructed to reduce their blockage widths. Thereby, when the cylinders are mounted in front of an antenna, the sidelobes and losses caused by the blockage will be reduced. For thin metal cylinders the blockage width reduction is obtained by giving its cross section an oblong shape and, in addition (for the TM case), by coating the outer metal surface with dielectric material to obtain a hard boundary condition. For thick cylinders, the reduced scattering is obtained by designing them as dielectric-filled parallel plate waveguides with the outer surfaces of the plates coated in the same way as for the thin struts. Dual-polarized performance is obtained in both cases by strip loading the outer surfaces. The performance of both the thin and the thick struts have limited frequency bandwidth. Both computed and measured results are presented; the computations being done with the moment method. The designs are based on the concept of soft and hard surfaces in electromagnetics, and the results can be regarded as a proof of the existence of hard surfaces for electromagnetic waves. The study considers reduction of forward scattering which also will give a reduction of the total integrated power of the scattered field over all directions-even backward.

The Odin satellite - I. Radiometer design and test

The Sub-millimetre and Millimetre Radiometer (SMR) is the main instrument on the Swedish, Canadian, Finnish and French spacecraft Odin. It consists of a 1.1 metre diameter telescope with four tuneable heterodyne receivers covering the ranges 486-504 GHz and 541-581 GHz, and one fixed at 118.75 GHz together with backends that provide spectral resolution from 150 kHz to 1 MHz. This Letter describes the Odin radiometer, its operation and performance with the data processing and calibration described in Paper II.

The eleven antenna: a compact low-profile decade bandwidth dual polarized feed for reflector antennas

A novel dual polarized ultrawide-band (UWB) feed with a decade bandwidth is presented for use in both single and dual reflector antennas. The feed has nearly constant beam width and 11 dBi directivity over at least a decade bandwidth. The feed gives an aperture efficiency of the reflector of 66% or better over a decade bandwidth when the subtended angle toward the sub or main reflector is about 53/spl deg/, and an overall efficiency better than 47% including mismatch. The return loss is better than 5 dB over a decade bandwidth. The calculated results have been verified with measurements on a linearly polarized lab model. The feed has no balun as it is intended to be integrated with an active 180/spl deg/ balun and receiver. The feed is referred to as the Eleven antenna because its basic configuration is two parallel dipoles 0.5 wavelengths apart and because it can be used over more than a decade bandwidth with 11 dBi directivity. We also believe that 11 dB return loss is achievable in the near future.

Electromagnetic analysis of effective and apparent diversity gain of two parallel dipoles

Two parallel dipoles are often used as a reference case for measuring diversity gain. The present paper shows how to calculate the radiation efficiency, effective diversity gain, and apparent diversity gain of two parallel dipoles and how they depend on dipole spacing. We treat several cases for different terminations of the neighboring dipole; open-circuited, short-circuited, and 50 /spl Omega/ termination. The results for 50 /spl Omega/ termination are verified by measurements of effective diversity gain in a reverberation chamber.

Characterization of Reverberation Chambers for OTA Measurements of Wireless Devices: Physical Formulations of Channel Matrix and New Uncertainty Formula

The paper deals with reverberation chambers for over-the-air (OTA) testing of wireless devices for use in multipath. We present a formulation of the S-parameters of a reverberation chamber in terms of the free space S-parameters of the antennas, and the channel matrix in the way this is known from propagation literature. Thereby the physical relations between the chamber and real-life multipath environments are more easily explained. Thereafter we use the formulation to determine the uncertainty by which efficiency-related quantities can be measured in reverberation chamber. The final expression shows that the uncertainty is predominantly determined by the Rician K-factor in the reverberation chamber rather than by the number of excited modes, assumed by previous literature. We introduce an average Rician K-factor that is conveniently expressed in terms of the direct coupling between the transmitting and receiving antennas (corresponding to a line-of-sight contribution) and Hills transmission formula (corresponding to a multipath or non-line-of-sight contribution). The uncertainty is expressed in terms of this average K-factor and geometrical mode stirring parameters, showing strong reduction by platform and polarization stirring. Finally the formulations are verified by measurements, and the new understanding of uncertainty is used to upgrade an existing reverberation chamber to better uncertainty.

Parallel Plate Cavity Mode Suppression in Microstrip Circuit Packages Using a Lid of Nails

The suppression of parallel plate and cavity modes in shielded microstrip circuits is presented. To this aim a textured metal lid consisting of periodically located pins known as a bed of nails is employed. The mode suppression has a bandwidth of more than 2:1, and it does not interfere much with the microstrip circuit. Thereby, this mode suppression technique introduces a new advantageous packaging technology for high frequency circuits.

Corrections to “Channel Sounding of Loaded Reverberation Chamber for Over-the-Air Testing of Wireless Devices—Coherence Bandwidth Versus Average Mode Bandwidth and Delay Spread”

This letter finds the relation between different parameters that characterize the reverberation chamber as a channel emulator for over-the-air (OTA) testing of wireless devices and components. It is shown experimentally for the first time that the coherence bandwidth is proportional to the average mode bandwidth of the chamber. Both coherence bandwidth and average mode bandwidth increase when the chamber is loaded with absorbing objects, and thereby, the reverberation chamber can be controlled to emulate many different real-life environments. The relationship between RMS delay spread and coherence bandwidth are found from the measured channel response and are equal to the theoretical relation for isotropic multipath environments, being within previously published fundamental limits.