Multiplicatively regularized source reconstruction method for phaseless near-field antenna measurements

Abstract

The source reconstruction method (SRM), as an antenna measurement technique, often operates on data collected in the near-field of the antenna under test (AUT) to reconstruct an equivalent current distribution of the AUT. In general, the SRM computes equivalent electric and magnetic currents on a virtual surface enclosing the AUT that radiate the same electromagnetic fields as the AUT. These currents can be used to compute the far-field pattern of the AUT, as well as provide valuable antenna diagnostic information. Most SRM research considers measured near-field data that has both amplitude and phase information, but an increasing trend towards antenna operation at higher frequencies makes collecting accurate phase information more challenging and expensive (R. G. Yaccarino and Y. Rahmat-Samii, IEEE Int. Sym. Antennas Propag., 4, 416–419, 2001). To this end, we investigate the application of the SRM to phaseless (amplitude-only) near-field measurement data.