Timed arrays in a nutshell

Abstract

Timed arrays are the time-domain counterpart of phased arrays, where each array element is excited by wideband instead of narrowband signals. By referring to idealized, but meaningful canonical configurations, the array parameters in the transmit and receive mode are defined in a simple way, by following a purely time-domain intuitive analysis. Obtained results extend steady-state concepts of beamwidth, directivity, gain, effective receiving area, Fresnel and Fraunhofer regions to the case of transient excitation. Application is made to both real and synthetic arrays. The final main conclusion is that the role of the carrier wavelength associated with narrowband excitation is taken by the spatial width of the (carrierless) pulse. This result appears to be rather robust, because it turns out to be independent from the different norms used in the definition of the antenna parameters: it sheds light on the physics of the transient radiation and may be very useful for initiating a more technical analysis of the array performance.