Synthesis of monopulse sub-arrayed linear and planar array antennas with optimized sidelobes

In this paper, three approaches for the synthesis of the optimal compromise between sum and difference patterns for sub-arrayed linear and planar arrays are presented. The synthesis problem is formulated as the definition of the sub-array configuration and the corresponding sub-array weights to minimize the maximum level of the sidelobes of the compromise difference pattern. In the first approach, the definition of the unknowns is carried out simultaneously according to a global optimization schema. Differently, the other two approaches are based on a hybrid optimization procedures, exploiting the convexity of the problem with respect to the sub-array weights. In the numerical validation, representative results are shown to assess the effectiveness of the proposed approaches. Comparisons with previously published results are reported and discussed, as well. “(c) The Electromagnetics Academy. The final version of this article is available at the url of the journal PIER (Progress In Electromagnetics Research) http://www.jpier.org/PIER/pier.php?paper=09092510