Mutual Coupling Effects for Radar Cross Section (RCS) of a Series-Fed Dipole Antenna Array

Abstract

The estimation of RCS of a phased array depends on various parameters, namely, array geometry, operational frequency, feed network, mutual coupling between the antenna elements and so fourth. This paper presents the estimation of RCS of linear dipole array with series-feed network by tracing the signal path from the antenna aperture into the feed network. The effect of mutual coupling exhibited by the dipole antenna is considered for three configurations namely, side by side, collinear, and parallel in echelon. It is shown that the mutual coupling affects the antenna pattern (and hence RCS) significantly for larger scan angles. Further it is inferred that the RCS of phased array can be optimized by (i) reducing the length of the dipole, (ii) termination of the isolation port of the coupler with a suitable load, and (iii) using suitable amplitude distribution.