Parallel Plate Waveguide Simulator of a Dense Connected Dipole Array

In this paper we propose the use of a parallel-plate waveguide simulator as a useful design verification step of very large phased-array systems. We base the derivation of the theoretical concept upon the wideband capacitively connected-dipole array. It is shown to be key to correctly terminate the cavity to the free-space boundary with the use of electromagnetic absorbers to minimize reflections.