Back to Maxwell animations home page

Maxwell2D: Phased array antenna

Dielectric constant distribution

A phased array antenna utilizes a number (in this case five) of dipole antennas that oscillate in phase. The constructive/destructive interference pattern results in a main lobe of energy in the direction of interest and a number of weaker side lobes. Clear-air radars tend to use this kind of antenna. Now see what happens when the dipoles don't oscillate perfectly in phase.
Wikipedia link: Phased array

Electric field animation

Time-averaged Poynting vector

This is an animation of the component of the electric field out of the plane of the page.The direction in which energy is travelling at any instant is proportional to the cross product of the electric and magnetic fields, known as the Poynting vector. The arrows show the direction of the Poynting vector averaged over the simulation, while the colours show its strength.