Influence of correlation interval and illumination taper in antenna tolerance theory

A brief review of the theory of antenna tolerances is presented, with special reference to Ruze´s published work. It is shown that the illumination correlation function can be analytically evaluated for both uniform and tapered illuminations, so that Ruze´s method of approximation can be avoided. The integral of the average gain function for both circular-aperture and linear antennas is greatly simplified. This allows the effects of correlation interval and illumination taper on the radiation characteristic to be explored. The results show that the size of the correlation region has a significant influence on the overall performance of the antenna. For a given surface error, higher efficiency, as well as better discrimination against ground noise, can be achieved with larger correlation intervals.