The Importance of Mutual Coupling in the Analysis of Finite Arrays of Rectangular Apertures

The paper describes the theoretical analysis of the radiation characteristics of a finite array of rectangular horn apertures including the effects of mutual coupling. Results are presented for a square array of 25 elements demonstrating the importance of the mutual coupling effect. The effect on the radiation characteristics of using different array lattice geometries and the ability of the theory to predict blind spot angles in finite arrays is also shown. Experimental results confirming the predictions are presented.