Effect of Two-Body Motion on Radar Beam Quality for Various Distributed Sparse Array Configurations

摘要

The purpose of this thesis was to develop a computer program to model the motion and beam characteristics of different configurations for the distributed sparse array. The effect of the two-body motion on the beam quality of the array was analyzed. Two groups of arrays, planar and three-dimensional were considered. The planar phased arrays were rectangles and disks, and the other arrays included cones and spheres. The number of emitters in the configurations ranged from five to two hundred. The beam quality parameter was the half-power beamwidth as determined in discrete directions throughout the hemisphere below the array. An array was considered feasible if the beamwidths degraded only slightly during orbit. The most useful configuration was found to be a sphere of randomly spaced emitters because it provided narrow beamwidths in all directions below the array. Because of the motion of the array, the beamwidths changed in a predictable, periodic manner. The half-power beamwidths actually improved in certain directions and only slightly degraded in others. The sphere also required the least number of emitters and could be used at any altitude. Keywords: Computer program listings; Fortran; Theses. (FR)