Innovative Reconfigurable HTS Antennas

This proposal describes an approach to investigate and determine the feasibility of an innovative, reconfigurable, electrically small VHF Antenna using a High Temperature Superconductor (HTS) material as the transitioning medium. The resulting antenna system will be capable of supporting: wideband spread spectrum, fast frequency hopping or impulse waveforms where efficiency is sacrificed for an instantaneous bandwidth equal to that of the VHF spectrum itself 270 MHz). Using HTS optical switches to change the characteristics of an electrically small antenna element and its associated matching network, the antenna will be capable of being instantly reconfigured to support slow hopping or other narrowband (legacy) waveforms with high radiation efficiency. During Phase I we propose a three step technical approach: develop a set of representative operational and performance requirements; define alternative antenna configurations and HTS transitioning methods/materials and evaluate each in terms of bandwidth-efficiency product using state-of-the-art EN computer codes. This approach will result in a small, low profile conformal antenna whose instantaneous bandwidth (and efficiency) exactly match that required by the modulation waveform. The analysis results, identification of potential government/commercial uses, and a Phase II plan will be documented in a final technical report.