Wideband Multiport Matching Phase I: Single-Feed Multiport Antennas; Final rept

摘要

Impedance matching is a canonical problem in electrical engineering. The problem is to maximize power flowing from a generator to a load with an adroit design of a matching network. Typically, matching problems use a single- port load. In contrast, this report develops matching for a load with multiple ports. The specific multiport load is a three-wire antenna. Each wire has a feed port so that the load is a 3-port. The matching problem is to find a matching network that maximizes power flow from a single feed to all three ports across a wide frequency band (100-700 MHz). Unexpectedly, several theoretical matching multiports were found that gave excellent wideband performance. Consequently, this serendipitous result opens several directions of opportunity. One direction aims at the enhancing the antenna's wideband performance. Understanding the physical phenomenon of coupling between the wires, the physical geometry of the wires, and a Pareto theory for maximal bandwidth and minimal size are all significant research topics. Another direction aims at the matching networks because of the gaps in theory and practical design. Specific and detailed formulation of these research opportunities is made explicit in this report.