Chapter 7: Antennas and Array Fundamentals

Learning Objectives

• Define radiation pattern, directivity, gain, effective area, and beamwidth of an antenna
• Derive and evaluate the array factor of a uniform linear array (ULA)
• Explain how element spacing and number of elements control beamwidth and sidelobe structure
• Extend ULA concepts to uniform planar arrays (UPA) and circular arrays
• Construct the MIMO channel matrix from array steering vectors and multipath cluster parameters
• Analyse practical issues: mutual coupling, element patterns, polarization diversity, and grating lobes
• Compare analog, digital, and hybrid beamforming architectures