The present work studies the design of a high impedance surface (HIS)-based bowtie antenna in the framework of characteristic mode analysis (CMA) and proposes the method of higher order mode suppression. A triangular-elliptical bowtie antenna operating in the frequency range of 1.6–6 GHz is designed. The radiating and higher order modes of the proposed antenna are identified using CMA, and an HIS structure is used to enhance the desired mode and to suppress the higher order mode in order to get high gain, good front-to-back ratio (FBR), and stable radiation characteristics. The final designed HIS-based bowtie antenna gives stable radiation patterns from 1.7 to 5.5 GHz with a maximum boresight gain of 10.5 dB. Also, gain from 6.5 to 12 dB and FBR from 8 to 18 dB are obtained in the operating bandwidth. The proposed antenna features the advantages of low profile, wideband and high boresight gain making it suitable for ground-penetrating radar applications.

A wideband tunable balanced phase shifter is achieved by utilizing varactor-loaded coupled lines (VLCLs)-embedded multistage branch-line structure. The tunable phase shift with low in-band phase deviation is attributed to the regulation in phase shift of the VLCLs and the horizontal microstrip lines in series. The wideband differential-mode (DM) impedance matching and common-mode (CM) suppression are due to multiple DM transmission poles and CM transmission zeros, which are brought about by the cascade of VLCLs and a microstrip line with short-circuited stubs in the DM-equivalent circuit and open-circuited stubs in the CM-equivalent circuit, respectively. Compared with the state-of-the-art tunable balanced phase shifters, the proposed design not only has the advantages of wide operating bandwidth (BW) with low in-band phase deviation but also has low insertion loss and easily fabricated structure. Theoretical analysis and design procedure were conducted, resulting in a prototype covering the frequency of 1.8 GHz. This prototype offers a tunable phase shift capability ranging from 0° to 90°. The prototype exhibits an operating BW of 45%, with a maximum phase deviation of ±6°. It also achieves a 10 dB DM return loss and CM suppression, while maintaining a maximum insertion loss of 2.5 dB.

This paper investigates the electromagnetic scattering characteristics in arid zone and proposes methods for monitoring and improving ecological agriculture, vegetation landscape and desertification in arid zone, based on the modified small slope approximation (SSA) electromagnetic scattering model. The dielectric properties of dryland soils are studied in the paper, and the variation curves of soil dielectric constant with humidity and electromagnetic frequency are plotted. In order to reproduce the geomorphological features of the dryland areas, a two-dimensional geometric model of the ground environment is established using Monte Carlo methods combined with Gaussian spectral functions. An algorithm model based on the modified SSA is developed, and the algorithm was validated and analyzed to verify its reliability. In the simulations, the southeastern region of Ejina Banner, Inner Mongolia was taken as a typical arid region, and the simulation parameters are obtained from the actual measurement data of the region. The study finds that the electromagnetic scattering characteristics of the arid zone are influenced by soil water content, ground roughness and incident wave electromagnetic frequency, and there is regularity. The results of this paper can be effectively combined with remote sensing technology to contribute to many researches on soil moisture inversion and ecological condition of vegetation, which are important in many aspects such as irrigation control, ecological research, vorticity covariance, and climatology of slope stability.

The increasing demand for wireless communication has emphasized the need for multiband antennas. This study presents a novel design for a multiband antenna with reduced specific absorption rate (SAR), high gain, and improved front-to-back ratio (FBR) achieved through the integration with a 4 × 4 artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) surface. The proposed antenna covers a wide range of wireless frequency bands, including Industrial, Scientific, and Medical, Wireless Local Area Network, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, Wi-Fi 6E, and 7, with resonating frequencies at 2.4, 3.2, 5.5, 7.5, and 10 GHz. The AMC unit cell creates four zero-degree reflection phases with double negative properties at 2.5, 3.8, 5.5, and 7.5 GHz. The compact design measures 0.23λ0 × 0.296λ0 × 0.0128λ0 and placed 0.104λ0 above an AMC surface of size 0.512λ0 × 0.512λ0 × 0.1296λ0. This structure enhances the gain by up to 8.55dBi at 6.01 GHz. The proposed antenna has −10 dB impedance bandwidth for these corresponding frequencies viz 2.34–2.43 GHz (3.77%), 2.81–3.83 GHz (30.72%), 4.82–6.21 GHz (25.20%), 7–7.65 GHz (8.87%), and 8.06–10.31 GHz (24.5%). An overall average percentage reduction value of SAR taken at these frequencies has been found to be 96.11% with AMC structure. The antenna sample was successfully fabricated, and the experimental results have been found to match well with the simulation results. This integrated design offers a promising solution for wearable off-body communication devices.

Large reflector antennas, such as the European Space Agency deep space antennas (DSAs), practically always require struts to support the sub-reflector. While inevitable, they deteriorate the antenna performance. To minimize this deterioration, it is pivotal to understand the role played by different features, including struts diameter and shape. This paper proposes a detailed numerical investigation on the impact of these features on antenna efficiency and side lobes, for a test case comprising both DSA3 and DSA4. It is demonstrated, for the first time in a comprehensive and quantitative way that includes different permutations for the strut design, that both features are significant to define the deterioration, thus providing a significant feedback for struts design.

A dual-band angular-stable transmissive linear to circular polarization converter based on metasurface is proposed and demonstrated in this work. The converter consists of three layers. The top and bottom layers are formed by an array of double split-ring layers. The unit cell of the central layer contains a square loop nesting a slant dipole. The split-rings create two resonances, enabling dual-band operation. The slant dipole and square loop are useful for improving the quality of circular polarization conversion. It is shown that the proposed polarization converter converts the incident linearly polarized wave into circularly polarized wave with opposite polarization modes over the frequency ranges of 8.77–10.58 and 17.59–19.88 GHz. The angular stability is up to 60° for 3 dB axial ratio. Moreover, the thickness of unit cell has a wavelength below 0.06 at the lower band. Compared with other designs in the literature, the structure bears merits of wideband response, high angular stability, and low-profile property within dual-band operational region. To validate the design, a sample prototype was designed, fabricated, and measured. The measured results are in good agreement with the simulated ones.

A design of a microwave absorber based on frequency selective surface resonating in X-band having ultrathin thickness, polarization controlled behavior, and increased absorption bandwidth has been reported. The reported absorber having its unit cell embodied of multiple resonating structures which includes conventional square, circular, and butterfly shaped resonators resulting in three absorption apexes at 9.44, 10.00, and 10.53 GHz (all in X band) with 99.9%, 99%, and 95.1% of absorptivity obtained at the frequencies of resonances. It demonstrates a wide full width at half maximum having 1.48 GHz as bandwidth, at the expense of using an ultrathin substrate of 0.0096 λ0, where λ0 is the wavelength with respect to lowest resonating frequency, i.e. 9.44 GHz. The unit cell is fourfold symmetric exhibiting independence about the absorber’s polarity, as well as, it behaves stable over the outspread angle up to 45 degrees for both transverse magnetic and transverse electric polarized wave under sloped incident angle. The absorption behavior has been demonstrated by plotting the distribution of surface-currents and electric fields at the frequencies of resonance. The fabricated prototype of the presented design is tested at X-band and the obtained results concur with the simulated results.

In this paper, the design of a circularly polarized (CP) multiple-input–multiple-output (MIMO) antenna system is presented, utilizing a dielectric resonator (DR). This presented antenna system is subsequently integrated with a multifunctional filter, all meticulously structured on a single substrate. The multifunctional filter operates in three modes: reconfigurable band-pass and band-reject filter as well as all-pass filter. The overall structure works as a tunable filtenna. The designed filtenna is expanded into a two-port MIMO system on a unified substrate, providing strong port isolation below −28.5 dB. The overall dimension of proposed radiator is 180 × 180 × 1.6 mm3. The value of peak gain is 5.19 dBic. By switching the states of PIN diodes, the designed filtenna operates as a sensing and communicating antenna for interweave and underlay cognitive radios (CRs). The proposed antenna supports the CP waves within the working band, i.e., 3.6–4.5 GHz. The simulated results are validated by comparing them with the measured results showing less variation among them. MIMO parameters, including the envelope correlation coefficient and diversity gain, have been calculated for the proposed filtenna, representing its suitability for 5G-CR applications.

This work presents a study where a sinusoidal corrugated antipodal Vivaldi antenna (SC-AVA) operating in the ultra-wideband (UWB) region is employed as a transducer for microwave imaging (MWI) of a cancerous breast. The functionality of the antenna within the UWB range is confirmed based on performance parameters like return loss, gain, radiation pattern, fidelity factor, and group delay. E-field distribution, H-field distribution, and near field directivity simulations in the presence of the breast phantom have also been carried out and reported. The practical application of the developed antenna for biomedical imaging is evaluated by measuring the specific absorption rate (SAR) readings at multiple frequencies within its operating range. The SAR readings are obtained from an electromagnetic simulator by modelling a realistic heterogeneous breast phantom with multiple embedded tumors, and placing them in close proximity to the transducer. The modelled SC-AVA is further utilized for imaging multiple tumors hidden inside the gland layer of the heterogeneous breast phantom developed in-house. The fabricated breast phantom is scanned using the in-house developed multistatic MWI setup. Based on the data obtained from the scanning setup the images are reconstructed using both the delay multiply and sum (DMAS) and iterative DMAS imaging algorithms. Furthermore, a comparison of the reconstructed images is done to check in which case the obtained images are closer to the fabricated breast phantom.

This article focuses on reducing mutual coupling between the ports of dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) using defected ground structures (DGSs). The antenna has the dimension of 50 mm × 50 mm × 8.5 mm. The resonating element in the proposed two-port radiator consists of a cylindrical structure of alumina ceramic (ɛr = 9.8). The rectangular-shaped aperture is utilized to excite both of the resonating elements. The resonating ceramic elements acting as radiators are offset-fed to enhance the antenna’s coupling. Combining interdigital-shaped and semicircular arc-shaped DGSs improves isolation between two resonating elements, embodying the structural novelty. The measured operating frequency range of Port-1 and Port-2 is 5.19–6.7 and 5.15–6.68 GHz, resonating at 5.58 and 5.56 GHz, respectively. The measured mutual coupling between the two ports is −35.5 dB. The measured gain for Port-1 is depicted to be 5.5 dB. The presented multiple-input–multiple-output (MIMO) radiator in this article is an appropriate candidate for WLAN (5.25–5.35, 5.47–5.725, 5.725–5.85, 5.850–5.925 GHz) and WiMAX(5.5 GHz) applications. All the simulated and experimentally observed MIMO parameters of the radiator are discovered to be within optimal bounds.

This paper proposes a passive filtering antenna for ultra-wideband (UWB) applications. The edge chamfering technique is adopted to construct the UWB antenna. The designed UWB antenna has a fractional bandwidth of 135%. A low-pass filter (LPF) is embedded on the feed line of the UWB antenna to convert it into a narrowband antenna that works at 2.45 GHz with 29.5% fractional bandwidth by removing the high-frequency components. The LPF is a transmission line with a stepped impedance configuration loaded with an H-shaped unit cell. The proposed filtering antenna is fabricated and tested. The measured results indicate the gain is >4.2 dBi and the radiation efficiency is >75%.

The presence of obstacles in the propagation path is a critical factor in air-to-ground (AG) communication. The behavior of wireless signal propagation depends on several variables, such as frequency, building height, elevation angle, and street design. This paper aims to compare the three established line of sight (LOS) probability model based on actual site data, including the building geometry in suburban environment. The comparison between these three models using the site data provide a guideline for selecting the LOS probability model based on the optimistic and pessimistic predictions. The shadowing loss was evaluated at frequencies 2 and 3.5 GHz with an elevation angle of 20° in two suburban locations at Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia. Three prediction models, ITU-R P.1410-5, Holis and Pechac, and Pang et al., available in the literature were used to identify and compare the line-of-sight probability. By focusing on the shadowing model in suburban area, the guideline for optimizing LOS communications or navigation in these challenging environments can be developed. The finding highlights the importance of considering building height in AG communication for network performance evaluation and design.

This manuscript presents a 50 Ω microstrip-fed quad-element high isolated ultra-wideband (UWB) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna with band-notched characteristics. The overall area of the proposed structure is 0.33λo × 0.33λo mm2 (where λo depicts the free space wavelength corresponding to the lower cutoff frequency, i.e. 2.54 GHz), etched on an FR-4 substrate of thickness 0.8 mm. The top layer has four semicircular disc-shaped radiating elements that are identical and orthogonal to obtain better inter-element isolation and compactness. A reverse two-shaped slot is etched onto the radiating patches to attain a band-rejection capability. Moreover, a decoupling structure is also placed at the top layer to suppress the unwanted surface waves. The bottom layer consists of a ground plane, which is further modified with quasi-self complementary and meandered line slots. A rectangular slot is also etched below the feed line to better match the impedance near the lower cutoff frequencies. The simulated reflection coefficients (S11) of the proposed antenna are less than −10 dB over 2.54 to 10.74 GHz frequencies except at 3.37 to 4.15 GHz (WiMAX/C band), and the simulated inter-port isolation (S21) is greater than −15 dB over the entire UWB range of frequencies (3.1 to 10.6 GHz). Also, the measured S-parameter results well agreed with the simulated ones. Furthermore, the simulation study of the 20-element UWB-MIMO antenna is also investigated using the proposed quad-element structure.

In this article, the cylindrical conformation of a linearly polarized cavity-backed magnetoelectric (ME) antenna is studied. Starting from a planar ME antenna presenting a wide bandwidth due to a specific design of its feeding probe, the impact of conformation is shown; the coupling between the ME dipole and the cavity walls is demonstrated to be the key element to keep a wideband behavior. Conformal antennas offering the same impedance bandwidth as the planar antenna are presented operating at Global Navigation Satellite System frequencies (1.164–1.61 GHz). As a result of the conformation, the antenna size has to be reduced to maintain the coupling and a wideband behavior. A prototype conformed to a 44-mm radius cylinder was built using low-cost additive manufacturing. External dimensions of 62 × 62 × 35 mm3 (0.285 × 0.285 × 0.16λ03, where λ0 is the wavelength at 1.38 GHz) were obtained, showing a ground plane area reduction of 46% compared to the planar antenna with the same materials. The conformal antenna also exhibits very steady radiation properties with a gain of around 4.5 dBi and a very similar and stable 3 dB beamwidth around 113° in E- and H-planes. A relatively good agreement is found between measurements and simulation.

This article presents an innovative design for a low-profile, high-gain circularly polarized (CP) antenna using a single-layer metasurface (MTS). The proposed design incorporates an MTS layer, comprising a 4 × 4 array of hexagonal-shaped patches, printed on the top layer of the substrate. The bottom layer features a coplanar waveguide-fed slotted ground. Circular polarization and broadside radiation are achieved through the application of characteristic mode analysis (CMA). CMA is employed to simultaneously excite desired modes, aiming for wideband circular polarization and gain enhancement. Experimental results validate the effectiveness of the design, with compact dimensions of 0.67λ0 × 0.67λ0 × 0.04λ0. The measurements demonstrate an impressive impedance bandwidth of 84.3% within the 3.7–9.1 GHz. Additionally, a 3-dB axial ratio bandwidth of 18.6% is observed between 4.96 and 5.98 GHz and 3.74% between 8.38 and 8.7 GHz. The antenna exhibits excellent radiation pattern characteristics, featuring a maximum gain of 10.08 dBi at 7.1 GHz. The radiation pattern is symmetrical with broadside directionality, making the antenna well-suited for sensing applications.

Future smart reconfigurable antennas (RAs) (Haupt R-L and Lanagan M (2013) Reconfigurable antennas. IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine 55, 49–61) will likely be fully multipurpose and controlled by software and equipped with machine learning skills that can discern and respond to alterations in the radio frequency environment. Cognitive radio utilizations will be accomplished using a new generation of antenna technology and communication protocols. The effective use of frequencies and the use of polarization diversity and radiation pattern reconfigurability to send data over existing congested frequencies will be major advantages for such applications. The usage of antennas that can be reconfigured in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channels will enhance channel capacity while simultaneously improving channel efficiency and lowering costs (Christodoulou C-G, Tawk Y, Lane S-A and Erwin S-R (2012) Reconfigurable antennas for wireless and space applications. Proceedings of the IEEE 100, 2250–2261). There are a lot of antennas used both at the transmitter and at the receiver front end in a MIMO system. The benefit of employing such arrangements is that different types of information can be conveyed at a similar time, boosting the spectral efficiency of communication in a multipath situation. The coding rate, modulation level, and transmission signaling method of a MIMO system can all be changed in response to changing channel circumstances and user needs. In a MIMO context, polarization reconfigurable/frequency-reconfigurable/radiation pattern RA increase the degree of freedom and enhancing the system’s performance. The usage of such antennas greatly enhances capacity by enabling a choice of various polarization configurations and pattern diversity. Antenna arrays that can be reconfigured are also an appealing MIMO system solution that needs to retain robust communication channels, particularly in portable gadgets where the area is limited.

A multi-band circularly polarized antenna is proposed for WLAN (2.4/5.3/5.8 GHz) and WiMAX (3.5 GHz) applications. The proposed antenna is constructed of a radiation patch and a reflecting metal ground. Characteristic mode theory is utilized to analyze the modes of the patch and based on these results the antenna is optimized. The −10 dB impedance bandwidths of the proposed antenna are 53.53% (2.4–4.15 GHz) and 47.28% (5.25–8.5 GHz), respectively. The antenna radiates left-handed circular polarization in the lower band and right-handed circular polarization in the upper band. A maximum gain of 10 dBic is achieved for the proposed antenna.

In this paper, a radio frequency sensor for measuring microfluidics dielectric properties is designed based on microstrip meander line. The meander sensor replaces the straight transmission lines with meander transmission lines in the part of the half-wavelength path difference to improve the sensitivity of the sensor and reduce its size. According to the experimental results, the meander sensor based on the meander line has higher accuracy and a lower relative error than the straight sensor in measuring methanol–ethanol mixtures with different molar fractions. The relative error measured by the meander sensor after calibration with an adjustable cavity is less than 1%. It is easier to detect the very slight variation in dielectric properties brought about by microfluidics. The detection technique can be further applied for the accurate detection of dielectric properties of valuable biological samples, providing a more concise and convenient way.

Circular antenna array (CAA) is one of the most widely used antenna array designs. This paper addresses the design challenges of the CAA with the non-uniform single ring, which is placed in an X-Y plane with the best sidelobe level (SLL) and improved first null beamwidth (FNBW). It has been solved using differential evolution, craziness-based particle swarm optimization (CRPSO), and novel particle swarm optimization (NPSO) techniques. An optimal combination of feeding current and inter-element spacing provides an array pattern with the best SLL and improved FNBW, as well as some other parameter calculations of the antenna array like maximum directivity, maximum effective aperture, total effective aperture, maximum beam area, total beam area, circumference, and radius of the CAAs using these techniques. There are six designs of CAAs with different antenna elements (i.e., 10-, 12-, 16-, 20-, 36-, and 64-elements) which have been taken into account. Simulations are done in MATLAB. Based on various simulation results, we can analyze the performance of SLL and FNBW with other parameters using NPSO and compare them with different techniques of CAAs, as shown in the numerical analysis and simulation result section.

For future fifth-generation (5G) smartphones, a high-efficiency multiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO) antenna system capable of operating in Long Term Evolution (LTE) 42/43/46 is suggested. A pair of small microstrip-fed slot antenna and inverted F antenna is part of the single antenna design structure. They are positioned on the longer side of the FR-4 printed circuit board. In an effort to lessen the mutual coupling, two antenna elements have a U-shaped rectangular slot inserted between them. The detailed study of the suggested MIMO system includes measurement of the reflection parameter, analyzing the radiation performance, performing envelope correlation coefficient (ECC) and channel capacity calculations, and analyses of the effects of user’s hand in the vicinity of the antenna array. Simulation and measurement results demonstrate the required performance of the proposed design, that is, greater than 80% of total efficiency, isolation >12 dB, and ECC <0.15. The suggested antenna has the benefits of multiband operation, high efficiency, good isolation, and a small footprint.