Exploring Radial Symmetry on Phased Arrays Using Particle Swarm Optimization

TL;DR

This paper presents a particle swarm optimization method for designing circular aperture phased arrays that reduce side lobe levels and system costs, enhancing beam quality for NGSO satellite communications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel application of particle swarm optimization to optimize element activation in circular phased arrays, achieving lower side lobe levels than previous designs.

Findings

Achieved an SLL of -25.67 dB, better than previous -22.53 dB.

Circular aperture arrays reduce active elements and system costs.

Enhanced beam quality and interference reduction.

Abstract

Phased antenna arrays enable dynamic beam shaping, which is essential for Non-Geostationary (NGSO) satellite communications where efficient beam distribution is important. This study focuses on thinning phased antenna arrays with circular apertures made up of eight replicated sectors. Circular apertures reduce the number of active elements, lowering system costs and improving radiation performance by evenly distributing energy, which helps to reduce Side Lobe Levels (SLL). Particle Swarm Optimization was used to approach the thinning problem, addressing the challenge of selecting which elements should be activated. The resulting design achieves an SLL of (-25.67 dB), outperforming previous designs with SLL reductions of (-22.53 dB). Achieved results underscore the potential of circular aperture phased arrays to improve beam quality, minimize interference, and deliver cost-effective solutions for NGSO satellites.