arXiv subjects

Kurt Schab

Publications and source records attributed to Kurt Schab.

24 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Radiation Efficiency Limits in Direct Antenna Modulation Transmitters

Relative bounds on radiation efficiency are established for time-modulated antenna systems where radiation is generated by broadband conduction currents impressed using idealized non-radiating time-varying subsystems, such as those found in direct antenna modulation (DAM) transmitters. Analytical and numerical examples demonstrate that the condition of quasi-resonance, common in nearly all practical direct antenna modulation transmitters, imposes severe restrictions on the otherwise unbounded gains in effective efficiency theoretically achievable by this class of time-modulated transmitters.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2019

Modal Tracking Based on Group Theory

Issues in modal tracking in the presence of crossings and crossing avoidances between eigenvalue traces are solved via the theory of point groups. The von Neumann-Wigner theorem is used as a key factor in predictively determining mode behavior over arbitrary frequency ranges. The implementation and capabilities of the proposed procedure are demonstrated using characteristic mode decomposition as a motivating example. The procedure is, nevertheless, general and can be applied to an arbitrarily parametrized eigenvalue problems. A treatment of modal degeneracies is included and several examples are presented to illustrate modal tracking improvements and the immediate consequences of improper modal tracking. An approach leveraging a symmetry-adapted basis to accelerate computation is also discussed. A relationship between geometrical and physical symmetries is demonstrated on a practical example.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2019

Distortion Analysis for the Assessment of LTI and non-LTI Transmitters

Bounds on the frequency domain behavior of electrically small antennas are adapted to assess the time domain distortion or fidelity achievable by simple linear time-invariant (LTI) systems. Rigorous expressions for a TM$_{01}$ spherical shell are used as a direct analog to the well known Chu limit on an antenna's bandwidth-efficiency product. These expressions are shown to agree with results obtained using narrowband single resonance approximations, allowing for the analysis of arbitrary small dipole-like structures through bounds on their single frequency Q-factor and efficiency. The resulting expressions are used as a basis for assessing the performance gains of electrically small non-LTI (e.g., direct antenna modulation) transmitters for which Q-factor and impedance bandwidth are not defined but which can be analyzed directly in the time domain via distortion.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2019

Optimal Planar Electric Dipole Antenna

Considerable time is often spent optimizing antennas to meet specific design metrics. Rarely, however, are the resulting antenna designs compared to rigorous physical bounds on those metrics. Here we study the performance of optimized planar meander line antennas with respect to such bounds. Results show that these simple structures meet the lower bound on radiation Q-factor (maximizing single resonance fractional bandwidth), but are far from reaching the associated physical bounds on efficiency. The relative performance of other canonical antenna designs is compared in similar ways, and the quantitative results are connected to intuitions from small antenna design, physical bounds, and matching network design.

physics.class-ph↗

arXiv2018

Trade-off Between Antenna Efficiency and Q-Factor

The trade-off between radiation efficiency and antenna bandwidth, expressed in terms of Q-factor, for small antennas is formulated as a multi-objective optimization problem in current distributions of predefined support. Variants on the problem are constructed to demonstrate the consequences of requiring a self-resonant current as opposed to one tuned by an external reactance. The resulting Pareto-optimal sets reveal the relative cost of valuing low radiation Q-factor over high efficiency, the cost in efficiency to require a self-resonant current, the effects of lossy parasitic loading, and other insights.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2016

Minimization of Antenna Quality Factor

The optimal currents on arbitrarily shaped radiators with respect to the minimum quality factor Q are found using a simple and efficient procedure. The solution starts with a reformulation of the problem of minimizing quality factor Q as an alternative, so-called dual, problem. Taking advantage of modal decomposition and group theory, it is shown that the dual problem can easily be solved and always results in minimal quality factor Q. Moreover, the optimization procedure is generalized to minimize quality factor Q for embedded antennas, with respect to the arbitrarily weighted radiation patterns, or with prescribed magnitude of the electric and magnetic near-fields. The obtained numerical results are compatible with previous results based on composition of modal currents, convex optimization, and quasi-static approximations; however, using the methodology in this paper, the class of solvable problems is significantly extended.

physics.class-ph↗