Scan-angle-independent FEM analysis of infinite arrays based on spherical harmonic lattice sums and the Generalized Scattering Matrix of an isolated antenna

Abstract

Infinite periodic arrays of antennas that can be individually described by means of spherical modes are analyzed starting from the generalized scattering matrix (GSM) of an isolated element. After computing the GSM of an isolated element with the finite-element method (FEM), a fast postprocessing can be carried out to calculate the response of the element in an infinite array environment by using addition theorems for spherical modes. For this purpose, an efficient computation of lattice sums of spherical harmonics is used. The main advantage of this method is that the antenna is analyzed only once whatever the array lattice or scan angle. In addition, fast frequency analysis can be performed since the starting point is the computation of the isolated antenna with the FEM, which is suitable for fast frequency sweep. The active reflection coefficient and the embedded radiation pattern of the infinite periodic array are calculated for several examples to show the capabilities of the proposed method.