Antenna Design using Characteristic Mode Analysis

Dr. M.H. Vogel

Altair Engineering, Inc.
Characteristic Mode Analysis (CMA) is a method that provides
insight in the natural resonances of arbitrary radiating structures. It
involves solving a generalized eigenvalue equation derived from the
Method of Moments (MoM) impedance matrix.
Insight in the characteristic modes helps antenna designers to follow a systematic, intelligent
approach rather than a brute-force method. It aids in choosing the locations of the excitations on
the antenna and of the antennas on the platform. Furthermore, knowledge of the coupling between
excitations and modes enables the design engineer to synthesize the desired antenna pattern by
exciting a linear combination of modal patterns. This is a deterministic approach, based on insight
in physics. It contrasts with an approach in which an optimization routine is used to explore a large
many-dimensional design space with few constraints.
This tutorial will present a refresher on the theory of characteristic modes and discuss practical
examples that illustrate the use of CMA for variety of antenna designs. The examples include both
antenna design and antenna placement.

For an ultra-wideband horn, insight in characteristic modes inspired a topology change that
would not have been obvious otherwise.

For an LTE antenna on a smart phone, CMA was used to design a compact antenna, starting
with stringent size restrictions.

For HF antennas on an aircraft, CMA was instrumental in choosing locations for the
antennas and in synthesizing a desired antenna pattern.

For an aircraft, insight in the characteristic modes was instrumental in actively altering its
visibility to HF radar.