Efficient computation of in-situ antenna performance using platform characteristic modes

We present a new approach for efficiently computing in-situ performance of platform-mounted antennas. When the antenna-platform system is characterized by the electric field integral equation (EFIE), the moment method (MoM) can be used to analyze the coupled system. To accelerate the solution, the numerical Green´s function (NGF) of the antenna is used via a simple matrix manipulation. We next compress the platform sub-matrix using the radiation and mutual coupling modes of the antenna-platform system. This new approach results in a fast and accurate solution of the coupled system. The computational savings and efficiency of the proposed method is particularly beneficial for design and optimization of antennas on-board real-life platforms.