Abstract
This chapter discusses two widely used reflector antennas, that is, reflector systems and phased arrays. Both phased arrays and reflectors can yield several independent and simultaneous beams and yet the two apertures have the following distinct characteristics: (1) phased arrays can yield extremely narrow, agile/staring antenna beams; (2) with present technology it is mechanically impossible to realize reflectors yielding antenna beams that have comparable spatial resolutions. Even when reflectors and phased arrays have the same geometric area, the phased arrays offer the user several degrees of freedom, ranging from the interbeam spacing to the resulting beam shapes, but are relatively expensive to realize. Reflectors, on the other hand, offer fewer degrees of freedom but are less expensive. Reflector antennas and phased arrays are complementary systems. Reflectors are, for instance, the building blocks of radioastronomy arrays that yield extremely narrow beams, and reflectors having a phased array at or near their focal plane constitute affordable and sensitive imagers and radar systems.
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