• Blended Learning & Flipped Classroom

The course aims to provide the student with the basis of radiation theory and of the main concepts of antenna engineering for the design of complex telecommunication systems.
The course provides the students with instruments to understand and apply modern design technologies and methodologies. Some design examples are provided in order to teach the students to make autonomous judgements in the antenna design process.

Knowledge and understanding (Dublin descriptor 1)

Students will learn how to:

- Make use of mathematical models for the understanding of the physics of electromagnetic radiation;

- Define and use mathematical modesl for the analysis of the behavior of antennas at system level and at circuit level.

Applying knowledge and understanding (Dublin descriptor 2)

Students will be able to:

- Compute the size of an antenna or array based on specific requirements;

- Evaluate the performance of a designed antenna at system level;

- Apply the mathematicl models using electromagnetic simulators.

Making judgements (Dublin descriptor 3)

- Understanding the funtamental tradeoffs that govern the design of an antenna or array;

- identify the complexity of different solutions from a circuit point of view;

- choose a specific antenna type based on the desired radiation behavior.

Antennas

The course aims to provide the student with the basis of radiation theory and of the main concepts of antenna engineering. After introducing radiation theory, the main antennas topologies are introduced with a view to their application field (telecommunications, remote sensing, telemetry). We then discuss the effect of noise and finally show some measurement technique to characterize the main parameters of antennas.

• Radiation theory. Maxwell equations in differential form, Poynting vector.
• Radiation from electric hertzian dipole; computation of the near field, the induction field and the radiation field. Magnetic hertzian dipole: duality. The Huygens source.
• The antenna as a transducer: main circuit parameters and radiation parameters (directivity, directivity function, gain, effective area, characteristic electric and magnetic length, efficiency, equivalent circuit, polarization).
• Wire antennas (short dipole, half wavelength dipole and others).
• Aperture antennas (horns, parabolic antennas)
• Antenna arrays introduction (array factor, coupling)
• Linear arrays (broadside, endfire, collinear, log-periodic)
• Leaky wave antennas
• Antennas measurements. 

At least 10 credits of electromagnetics courses, dealing with Maxwell's equations, transmission lines and distributed circuits, plane waves. Vector algebra, linear equations and calculus are also required. All these concepts are usually acquired in a Bachelor of Science in Informatics/Telecommunications/Electronics, e.g. in courses such as "Electromagnetic Fields" and/or "Electromagnetic Waves".

The examination will consist of a written test (2 hours) with 3 numerical exercises. No mobile phone are allowed in the test, but the student is allowed to bring his/her notes or books to consult. The student will be asked to:

- solve numerically some problems related to the topics of the course (knowledge and understanding with application)

- to design (numerically) an antenna or an array for a specific goal (making judgement).

The student will be often asked to make some reasonable approximation when the solution appears too complex to solve exactly (making judgements).

30 cum laude will be assigned if the total score is greater than 31. The test will be evaluated in 1-2 weeks. Student can withdraw the final mark with no limitations on the number of tests they apply for.