Efficient numerical investigation of an active reconfigurable periodic structure

Application of an advanced numerical scheme, namely the Synthetic Function eXpansion (SFX) algorithm, to the analysis of an active 1D structure is presented. A passive periodic configuration consisting of parallel patches loading a microstrip line is turned into an active structure by inserting a pair of 2 switches to the two ends of each patch; the states of the pair of switches are changed contemporaneously. Variation of the states of the switches modifies the current distribution on the structure. The characterization of the large number of possible configurations requires a huge numerical effort which is alleviate by the use of the proposed method. Examples of the numerical investigations in a case of a 120 element array controlled by different periodic patterns are considered and discussed.