Analysis of Radome Structures Placed in the Near-Field of Antennas

In this paper, we present a preliminary analysis of radomes structures operating in the near field of moderate or high gain antennas. The analysis of radome structures is carried out in the frequency range from 2 to 18 GHz. The analysis is based on the transmission line method and the transverse resonance method. Once computed the transmission properties of radome, surface wave modes are studied in the radome structures since they are placed in the near field of radar-antenna. The analysis is carried out by using typical examples of radomes, where effect of electrical (e.g. permittivity) and physical (e.g. thickness) parameter on the surface wave propagation and transmission properties are studied. The presented analysis is helpful in the development of radomes specifically designed to operate in the near-field of antennas.