The tripole antenna: An adaptive array with full polarization flexibility

The performance of an adaptive array using three mutually perpendicular dipoles (a "tripole") is studied. A desired signal and an interference signal, each with arbitrary angle of arrival and polarization, are assumed incident on the array. Uncorrelated thermal noise is also assumed present on each element signal. The output desired signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) is computed as a function of the signal arrival angles and polarizations. It is shown that for most angles of arrival and polarizations, the array has an excellent ability to protect a desired signal from interference. Certain special cases where the performance is not good are discussed in detail.