Linear Wire Antennas

Ranga Rodrigo
August 24, 2010
Lecture notes are fully based on Balanis [?]. Some diagrams and text are directly
from the books.

Contents
1 Infinitesimal Dipole

2 Small Dipole

3 Finite-Length Dipole

Wire antennas, linear or curved, are some of the oldest, simplest, cheapest, and in many cases the most versatile for many applications.

1 Infinitesimal Dipole

An infinitesimal linear wire (l ) is positioned symmetrically at the origin of the coordinate system and oriented along the z axis.
The spatial variation of the current is assumed to be constant and given
by
I (z 0 ) = a z I 0
where I 0 is a constant.

 The source only carries an electric current I e . I m and the potential function F are zero. To find A we write
Z

e j kR 0
A(x, y, z) =
I e (x 0 , y 0 , z 0 )
dl .
4 C
R
where
(x, y, z) : Observation point coordinates.
(x 0 , y 0 , z 0 ) : Coordinates of the source.
R : The distance from any point on the source to the observation point.
C : Path along the length of the source.
I e (x 0 , y 0 , z 0 ) = a z I 0 .
x 0 = 0, y 0 = 0, z 0 = 0, for the infinitesimal dipole.
q
q
0
2
0
2
0
2
R = (x x ) + (y y ) + (z z ) = x 2 + y 2 + z 2 = r (constant).
d l 0 = d z 0.
A(x, y, z) = a z

I 0 j kr
e
4

l /2

l /2

d z 0 = a z

I 0 l j kr
e
.
4

(x, y, z)

(x 0 , y 0 , z 0 )

1
A, E A : H A = J + j E A . Transformation from

rectangular to spherical coordinates:

Next: H A : H A =

Ar
sin cos sin sin cos
Ax
A = cos cos cos sin sin A y
A
sin
cos
0
Az

A x = 0, A y = 0, A z 6= 0.
I 0 l e j kr
cos .
A r = A z cos =
4r
I 0 l e j kr
A = A z sin =
sin .
4r
A = 0.

a r
a
(A sin )
A +
A r (r A ) +
(r A )
Ar
A =
r sin

r sin
r
r r

1 a

H=
(r A )
Ar
r r

Hr = H = 0.
H = j

1
k I 0 l sin
1+
e j kr .
4r
j kr

E =EA =

1
H.
j

I 0 l cos
1
Er =
1+
e j kr .
2r 2
j kr

1
1
k I 0 l sin
E = j
1+

e j kr .
4r
j kr (kr )2
E = 0.
The E and H components are valid everywhere except on the source itself.

ar , E r , H r
a , E , H

a , E , H

x
Power Density and Radiation Resistance
For a lossless antenna, the real part of the input impedance is designated
as the radiation resistance, that power is transferred from the guided wave
to the free space wave.

1
1
W = E H = (a r E r + a E ) a H .
2
2

1
= a r E H a E r H .
2

I 0 l 2 sin2
1
Wr =
1 j
.
8 r2
(kr )3

1
k|I 0 l |2 cos sin
W = j
1+ j
.
162 r 3
(kr )2
The complex power moving int eh radial direction

Z 2 Z
W ds =
P=
(a r Wr + a W ) a r r 2 sin d d
S
0
0
Z 2 Z
=
Wr r 2 sin d d
0
0

I 0 l 2
1
1 j
=
.
3
(kr )3
4

The transverse component W does not contribute to the integrals. Thus P

does not represent the total complex power radiated by the antenna. W is
purely imaginary, and does not contribute to any real radiated power. It contributes to the imaginary (reactive) power.
The reactive power density, which is most dominant for small values of kr ,
has both radial and transverse components. It merely changes between outward and inward directions to form a standing wave at a rate twice per cycle. It
also moves in the transverse direction.
Time average power radiated is
I l 2
0 .
p rad =
3
For large values of kr (kr 1), the reactive power diminishes. For free space
' 120,
2
2
2 l
2 l
= 80 .
.
R rad =
3

Near-Field Region kr 1
I 0 l e j kr
cos .
2kr 3
I 0 l e j kr
sin .
E ' j
4kr 3
E = Hr = H = 0.
Er ' j

H '

I 0 l e j kr
sin .
4r

E r and E are in time-phase. E r and E are in time-phase quadrature with H .

Therefore, there is no time-average power flow associated with them.
Intermediate-Field Region kr > 1
I 0 l e j kr
Er '
cos .
2kr 2
k I 0 l e j kr
E ' j
sin .
4kr
E = Hr = H = 0.
k I 0 l e j kr
sin .
H ' j
4r
5

E r and E approach time-phase quadrature. They form a rotating vector whose

tip traces and ellipse in a plane parallel to the direction of propagation: cross
field.
Far Field kr 1
k I 0 l e j kr
sin .
4kr
E r ' E = Hr = H = 0.

E ' j

H ' j

k I 0 l e j kr
sin .
4r

The ratio of E to H is equal to

Zw =

E
' .
H

where Z w is the wave impedance and is the intrinsic impedance (377 ' 120
for free-space.) E - and H -field components are perpendicular to each other,
transverse to the direction of propagation, and r variations are separable from
those of and . This relationship is applicable in the far-field region of all
antennas of finite dimensions.
Directivity
The average power density

1
k I 0 l 2 sin2
1

2
|E | = a r
W av = Re E H = a r
.
2
2
2 4 r 2
The radiation intensity

2
r 2
k I 0 l 2 2
U = r Wav =
sin

=
E (r, , ) .

2 4
2
2

The maximum value occurs at = /2:

k I 0 l 2
Umax =
.
2 4
D 0 = 4

Umax 3
= .
P rad
2

The maximum effective aperture

2
32
A em =
D0 =
.
4
8

1
|I 0 |2 R rad .
2

2 l 2
R rad =
.
3

P rad =

2 Small Dipole
The current distribution of the infinitesimal dipole (l < /50) is I 0 , a constant.
For a small dipole (/50 l /10) the triangular current distribution approximation must be used.
z
I0

|I |

The current distribution is

(

a z I 0 1 2l z 0 , 0 z 0 2l ,

I e (x , y , z ) =
a z I 0 1 + 2l z 0 , 2l z 0 0.
0

Z 0

Z l /2

2 0 e j kR 0
2 0 e j kR 0
A(x, y, z) =
a z
d z + a z
dz .
I0 1 + z
I0 1 z
4
l
R
l
R
l /2
0
Because the overall length of the dipole is small, the value of R for different
values of z 0 along the length of the wire are not much different from r .

P (r, , )

0
l /2

d z0
z0

l /2

= 0

x
Maximum phase error due to the assumption R ' r is

kl
2

= 10
= 18 for /10.

1 I 0 e j kr
A = a z A z = a z
,
2
4r
which is one half of that obtained in the previous section for the infinitesimal
dipole.
Far-Zone Fields, kr 1
k I 0 l e j kr
sin .
8kr
E r ' E = Hr = H = 0.

E ' j

H ' j

k I 0 l e j kr
sin .
8r

Directivity and the maximum effective area are the same as for the infinitesimal
dipole.
2
2P rad
2 l
= 20
R rad =
|I 0 |2

which is 1/4 of the value for the infinitesimal dipole.

3 Finite-Length Dipole
We can analyze the radiation characteristics of a dipole with any length using magnetic vector potential A. For a thin, center-fed finite-length dipole
(l /10, d ), the approximate current distribution can be written as

i
h
a z I 0 sin k l z 0 , 0 z 0 l ,
2
h 2
i
I e (x 0 = 0, y 0 = 0, z 0 ) =
a z I 0 sin k l + z 0 , l z 0 0.
2
2
In the far field, we have, z 0 r , ' 0 . For amplitude: R ' r . For phase:
R ' r z 0 cos .
z

P (r, , )
0

d z0

l /2

d z0
z0

l /2

P (r, , )

z0

= 0

= 0

x
Maximum phase error due to the assumption R ' r is

A(x, y, z) =
4

Z
C

I e (x 0 , y 0 , z 0 )

kl
2

= 10
= 18 for /10.

e j kR 0
dl .
R

0
e j kR
I e (x 0 , y 0 , z 0 )e j kz cos d z 0 .
4r
C
The finite dipole antenna is subdivided into a number of infinitesimal dipoles
of length z 0 . For an infinitesimal dipole of length d z 0 positioned along the
z-axis at z 0

A(x, y, z) =

j k I e (x 0 , y 0 , z 0 )e j kR
sin d z 0 .
4R
d E r ' d E = d Hr = d H = 0

d E '

j k I e (x 0 , y 0 , z 0 )e j kR
sin d z 0 .
d H '
4R
9

Using the far field approximation

d E '

0
j k I e (x 0 , y 0 , z 0 )e j kr
sin e j kz cos d z 0 .
4r

Summing the contribution from all the infinitesimal elements

Z
E =

l /2

l /2

ke j kr
sin
d E = j
4r

l /2

l /2

I e (x , y , z )e

j kz 0 cos

Simplifying

kl
cos

cos
I0e
2

.
E ' j
2r
sin

kl
kl
I 0 e j kr cos 2 cos cos 2
.
H ' j
2r
sin
j kr

cos

kl
2

Power Density, Radiation Intensity, and Radiation Resistance

i
1 h
1
W av = Re E H = Re a E a H
2
2

1
= Re a E a E /
2

10

dz