RECEIVING A NTENNA CHARACTERISTICS

To understand the characteristics and evaluate the performance of receiving antennas in general,
consider the following analysis of a particular model -- viz. the filamentary (wire) structure
illustrated below which may be used as either a transmitting or receiving antenna.

A particular antenna The same antenna

configuration in use as a configuration in use as a
transmitting antenna receiving antenna

When used as a transmitting antenna which is excited by the indicated current generator, the
current distribution I( s) along the wire1 could, in principal, be found, self-consistently , as a
solution of Maxwell's equations which is consistent with the requirement that the component of the
electric field parallel to the wire must always be zero! Similarly, when used as a
receiving antenna, the incident field excites a scattering field which is the response to the
requirement that the component of the electric field parallel to the wire must be zero! In fact, a
receiving antenna may be usefully thought of as device for converting an incident field into a
scattering field which may be detected in some way.

1 Note: s denotes a variable position along the wire.

RECEIVING ANTENNA CHARACTERISTICS PAGE 2

Re-radiated or "Scattered field" arising from

currents induced on the given antenna
configuration by the incident field

We now invoke the reciprocity theorem in the form

r r r r r r r r
∫∫∫ E1 (r ′, ω ) ⋅ J 2( r ′, ω ) d V ′ =
all space
∫∫∫ E 2( r ′, ω ) ⋅ J1( r′, ω ) d V ′
all space
[1]

(see Appendix for proof of the reciprocity theorem). Suppose that the index 1 refers to the field
and current associated with a given antenna used as a transmitting antenna driven by a current
source and that the index 2 refers to the field and current associated with the same antenna used as
an open-circuit receiving antenna driven by the incident radiation -- viz. the scattered field.
Consider first the following parsing of Equation [1]:
r r r r r r r r r r r r
∫∫∫ E1 (r ′, ω ) ⋅ J 2( r ′, ω ) d V ′ =
all space
∫∫∫
gap
E1( r ′, ω ) ⋅ J 2( r ′,ω ) d V ′ + ∫∫∫
wire
E1 (r ′, ω ) ⋅ J2 ( r ′, ω) d V′ [2]

R. Victor Jones, October 23, 2002

RECEIVING ANTENNA CHARACTERISTICS PAGE 3

The integral over the wire is zero , because the tangential component of E along the
wire is zero and the integral over the gap is zero , because the output of the receiving
antenna is assumed to be an open circuit so that
r r r r
∫∫∫ E1 (r ′, ω ) ⋅ J 2( r ′, ω ) d V ′ = 0 .
all space
[3]

Using this result in conjunction with the reciprocity theorem, we see that
r r r r
∫∫∫ E 2 ( r′, ω ) ⋅ J1( r ′, ω ) d V ′
all space

r r r r r r r r [4a]
=
∫∫∫
gap
E 2( r′, ω ) ⋅ J1(r ′, ω ) d V ′ +
∫∫∫
wire
E 2 (r ′, ω ) ⋅ J1( r ′, ω ) d V ′ = 0

r r r r r r r r
or ∫∫∫
gap
E 2 ( r ′, ω ) ⋅ J1( r′, ω ) d V ′ = − ∫∫∫
wire
E2 (r ′, ω ) ⋅ J1 (r ′, ω ) d V ′ . [4b]

Therefore, we may write

r r r r
VR I T = − ∫∫∫
wire
E 2( r′, ω ) ⋅ J1 (r ′, ω ) d V ′ . [5]

where VR is the open-circuit voltage induced across the gap when the wire is used as a receiving
antenna and I T is the current source driving current on to the same wire when it is used as a
r r r
transmitting antenna. Suppose that the incident field is a plane wave E inc exp -j k ⋅ r so that ( )
Equation [5] becomes
r r r r r
VR =
1
IT ∫∫∫ ( )
Einc exp - j k ⋅ r ′ ⋅ J1 ( r′, ω ) d V ′ . [6]
wire

R. Victor Jones, October 23, 2002

RECEIVING ANTENNA CHARACTERISTICS PAGE 4

r
More precisely, since the incident field is perpendicular to k , it is the component of the current
perpendicular to the propagation vector that is required -- i.e.

){ ]} d V ′
r r r r r r r
VR =
1
IT ∫∫∫ ( [
Einc exp - j k ⋅ r ′ ⋅ J1 ( r′, ω ) − kˆ kˆ ⋅ J1( r ′, ω)
wire

){ [ ]}
r r r r r
=−
1
IT ∫∫∫ (
E inc exp - j k ⋅ r ′ ⋅ kˆ × kˆ × J1( r ′, ω ) d V ′ . [7]
wire

r  ˆ  ˆ 1 r r r r 
= −Einc ⋅ k ×  k ×
∫∫∫ ( )
J1 ( r ′, ω ) exp -j k ⋅ r ′ d V ′ 
  IT
wire  

Recall our treatment of the far-fields of a transmitting antenna, the electric field strength is given by

j η k exp (− j k r ) ˆ ˆ r r
{ [ ]}
r r
E( r, ω ) = r × r × N(r, ω ) [8a]
4π r
r r r rr
where N (r , ω ) = ∫∫∫ exp[ j k rˆ ⋅ r ′ ] J(r ′, ω ) dV ′ . [8b]

Thus, Equation [7] may be written

r   1 r 
VR = − Einc ⋅ kˆ × kˆ × N trans (ω )  . [7]
  IT 
r
where N trans (ω ) is the current transform of the antenna. In words the basically idea is simple:
The received open-circuit voltage is maximized when the field incident on a given
antenna most resembles the radiation-zone field which that antenna would radiate
as a transmitting antenna.

R. Victor Jones, October 23, 2002

RECEIVING ANTENNA CHARACTERISTICS PAGE 5

APPENDIX : PROOF OF THE RECIPROCITY THEOREM

Consider the following vector identity for arbitrary vectors:

r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r
[ ]
∇ ⋅ E1( r, ω ) × H 2( r, ω ) = H 2 ( r, ω ) ⋅ ∇ × E1(r ,ω ) − E1( r, ω ) ⋅ ∇ × H2 (r ,ω ) [A-1a]
r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r
[ ]
∇ ⋅ E2 ( r, ω ) × H1( r, ω ) = H1 ( r, ω ) ⋅ ∇ × E2 (r ,ω ) − E 2( r, ω ) ⋅ ∇ × H1 (r ,ω ) [A-1a]

Using these two expressions in conjunction with the macroscopic Maxwell's equations for linear,
isotropic media, we obtain
r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r
[ ] [ ] [
∇ ⋅ E1( r, ω ) × H 2( r, ω ) = H 2 ( r, ω ) ⋅ −j µ ω H1( r, ω ) − E1( r , ω) ⋅ J 2( r, ω ) + j ε ω E 2( r, ω) ] [A-2a]
r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r
[ ] [ ] [
∇ ⋅ E2 ( r, ω ) × H1( r, ω ) = H1 ( r, ω ) ⋅ − j µ ω H 2( r, ω ) − E 2( r, ω) ⋅ J1( r, ω ) + j ε ω E1( r , ω) ] [A-2b]

Adding these two equations, we see that

r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r
[ ]
∇ ⋅ E1( r, ω ) × H 2( r, ω ) − E2 ( r, ω ) × H1( r, ω ) = E 2( r, ω ) ⋅ J1(r , ω ) − E1( r, ω ) ⋅ J2 (r , ω ) [A-3]

and then integrating the resulting equation over some arbitrary volume, we obtain
r r r r r r r r r
∫∫∫ [ ]
∇ ⋅ E1 (r ′, ω ) × H 2 ( r ′, ω) − E2 ( r ′, ω) × H 1( r ′, ω ) d V ′
[A-4]
r r r r r r r r
=
∫∫∫ [ ]
E2 ( r, ω ) ⋅ J1( r, ω ) − E1 ( r, ω ) ⋅ J 2 (r , ω ) d V ′

Further, using Gauss's Theorem on LHS of this equation yields

R. Victor Jones, October 23, 2002

RECEIVING ANTENNA CHARACTERISTICS PAGE 6

r r r r r
∫∫ [E (r′, ω ) × H ( r′, ω ) − E (r′, ω ) × H ( r′, ω )] ⋅ d S
r r r r
1 2 2 1

r r r r r r r r [A-5]
=
∫∫∫ [ E ( r, ω ) ⋅ J (r , ω ) − E (r, ω ) ⋅ J ( r , ω)] d V ′
2 1 1 2

"In many instances", we may argue that the LHS of this equation vanishes -- e.g. in most instances
the fields may be taken to be essentially plane waves at very large distances and, therefore,

r r r r r r r r
∫∫∫ E 2 ( r, ω ) ⋅ J1( r ,ω ) d V ′ = ∫∫∫ E1( r, ω ) ⋅ J 2( r, ω ) d V ′ [A-6]

which is one form of the famous reciprocity theorem.

R. Victor Jones, October 23, 2002