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To model the electromagnetic mutual impedance between a pair of "crossed dipoles" (a.k.a. "cross dipoles") whose relative orientation is skewed (i.e., not perpendicular), this paper advances a new modeling approach – the "phenomenological" or "behavioral" approach. This new approach leads to simple models of the mutual impedance, as closed‐form expressions parameterized explicitly by the dipoles' (a) skew angle, (b) separation, and (c) common length. This mathematical simplicity is unprecedented in prior models. These models' usefulness is illustrated, using direction finding as an example. Key Points: Qualitative insights on how the mutual impedance of cross‐dipoles varies with their skew angle, common length, and separationThe proposed phenomenological modeling approach least‐squares‐fits the cross‐dipoles' mutual impedance values to low‐dimensional modelsDespite these phenomenological models' few degrees of freedom, the proposed models successfully facilitate direction finding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As low-cost fully digital array technology becomes more commercialized, techniques need to be developed to be able to deal with many of the inherent problems of these systems. This article focuses on mitigating the intermodulation distortion (IMD) caused by the low-input third-order intercept point (IIP3) of the low-noise amplifier (LNA) in a digital array element’s channel. The performance of solid-state electronics also varies with the temperature of the device, thus changing the device’s nonlinear characteristics. This article proposes an adaptive solution for nonlinear equalization (NLEQ) with the use of the least mean-square (LMS) algorithm. Data from a modern digital array channel are corrected using the proposed method; the channel nonlinearities are also characterized for further simulations. A simulation using these nonlinear coefficients shows that NLEQ can effectively mitigate the IMD of two strong interferers that had previously distorted the weak signal of interest. Finally, a nine-element fully digital array is simulated, showing the correlation of IMD with specific, predictable directions, and the decorrelation of these spurs after NLEQ is applied to each element of the array. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With an incredible increase in the number of wireless devices and an ever-growing demand for high data rates, 5G needs to provide a solution to satisfy the demand for the next decade. Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems are seen as one of the primary solutions—allowing for spatial multiplexing and the use of millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequencies, which can provide much larger bandwidths and, thus, data rates. MIMO is very closely related to phased arrays, which have been used for radar for the past few decades and requires many antennas and transceivers—on the order of hundreds or thousands for massive MIMO. To make such systems affordable, low-cost, low-power, and low-complexity is required—inherently compromising other system characteristics, such as linearity. The main focus of this paper will be in summarizing the challenges, recent advances, and potential future breakthroughs concerning MIMO/digital array sensitivity to interferers and nonlinear distortion. Specifically, this paper gives an overview of MIMO/digital array architectures and different techniques currently researched for the characterization and mitigation of spatial and spectral interferers and nonlinearities, which can be used to extend the effective dynamic range of low-cost MIMO/digital array systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In dipole-antenna array signal-processing algorithm development, research has focused on “short dipoles” whose physical length ( $L$ ) is under (1/10) of a wavelength \lambda $ . Such electrically “short” dipoles have very small input impedances, rendering such “short” dipoles to be inefficient radiators. Practical dipoles, with an electrical length of ({L}/{\lambda }) \in [{0.1, 1}] , have notably larger input impedance, hence making them better radiators. Of such practical dipoles, this paper investigates their use for azimuth-polar direction finding and for polarization estimation. This paper will first present the measurement model (i.e., array manifold) of a triad of such practical dipoles, collocated in space and orthogonally oriented. This paper will then develop the corresponding closed-form algorithms to estimate the bivariate azimuth–elevation direction-of-arrival or the bivariate polarization. Such closed-form algorithms previously have been unavailable in the existing literature for such a triad of electrically “long” dipoles of pragmatic radiation efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Future weather radar systems will need to provide rapid updates within a flexible multifunctional overall radar network. This naturally leads to the use of electronically scanned phased array antennas. However, the traditional multifaced planar antenna approaches suffer from having radiation patterns that are variant in both beam shape and polarization as a function of electronic scan angle; even with practically challenging angle-dependent polarization correction, this places limitations on how accurately weather can be measured. A cylindrical array with commutated beams, on the other hand, can theoretically provide patterns that are invariant with respect to azimuth scanning with very pure polarizations. This paper summarizes recent measurements of the cylindrical polarimetric phased array radar demonstrator, a system designed to explore the benefits and limitations of a cylindrical array approach to these future weather radar applications. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Digital beamforming (DBF) has long been heralded as the next frontier in phased array technology, and not without reason. The digitization of transmit and receive signals at the element level opens the door to new processing and beamforming schemes and promises to deliver maximum flexibility and unprecedented dynamic range in large systems. However, it is not without inherent technological risks and practical challenges associated with the amount of data to process and the use of less sophisticated transceivers. This paper provides broad overviews of several interrelated aspects of the resulting DBF trade spaces for these systems. In particular, emerging concepts are highlighted for the roles and interconnection of distributed beamforming/processing for fixed and adaptive beamforming. These are then related to digital array calibration mechanisms that can potentially reduce the need for data- and processing-intensive beamforming algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]