Radome Diagnostics—Source Reconstruction of Phase Objects With an Equivalent Currents Approach

Abstract

Radome diagnostics are acquired in the design process, the delivery control, and in performance verification of repaired and newly developed radomes. A measured near or far field may indicate deviations, e.g., increased side-lobe levels, but the origins of the flaws are not revealed. In this paper, radome diagnostics is performed by visualizing the equivalent surface currents on the 3-D radome body, illuminated from the inside. Three different far-field measurement series at 10 GHz are employed. The measured far field is related to the equivalent surface currents on the radome surface by using a surface integral representation. In addition, a surface integral equation is employed to ensure that the sources are located inside the radome. Phase shifts, insertion phase delays (IPD), caused by patches of dielectric tape attached to the radome surface, are localized. Specifically, patches of various edge sizes (0.5-2.0 free-space wavelengths), and with the smallest thickness corresponding to a phase shift of a couple of degrees are imaged.