TEM horn optimized for transient radiation

Theory and measurements are presented to show that careful shaping of antenna metalization can be used to design TEM horn antennas for ultra-wideband applications involving high-fidelity impulsive electromagnetic fields. The effect on the radiated pulse, spectral bandwidth, and transfer function is discussed. A numerical time-domain formulation is described to compute the impulsive radiated far-field waveform, and some experimental results are included to indicate the usefulness of the technique. The ringing action of the antenna is recognized as the crucial parameter constraining the usefulness of the design. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 30: 161–164, 2001.