Efficient Broadband Electrically Small Antenna Arrays

The overall objective is to develop new technologies to optimize the design of electrically small, broadband antenna arrays for communication, electronic support, and radar systems. The critical elements to be investigated are individual broadband (multiple octave) radiator design, optimal integration into an array where strong mutual coupling is present, and intelligent impedance matching is applied to ensure the delivery of maximum power between the radiator and transceiver, helping to improve the overall efficiency of the array. We propose a time domain analysis and design technique using associated Laguerre functions for analysis of arbitrary shaped conducting and dielectric structures for analysis and synthesis of broadband electrically small antenna arrays.