Keywords

Antenna array mutual coupling, Amplifier noise, Noise matching

Abstract

For phased array receivers, mutual coupling leads to beam-dependent effective impedances at array element ports. Front end amplifiers can be matched for optimal noise performance for one beam steering direction, but noise performance becomes poor at other steering directions. We analyze this noise penalty in terms of beam equivalent noise temperature for various amplifier noise matching conditions, and develop a new matching condition that minimizes the average beam equivalent receiver noise temperature over multiple beams. For non-beamforming applications such as MIMO communications, we show that noise performance for coupled arrays can be quantified using the spectrum of an available receiver noise temperature correlation matrix.

Original Publication Citation

Karl F. Warnick, Bert Woestenburg, Leonid Belostotski,and Peter Russer. "Minimizing the Noise Penalty Due to Mutual Coupling for a Receiving Array," IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, Vol. 57, No. 6, June 2009.