A quantitative measure for information content in antenna array radiation patterns

Karan D. Mohan; M. Amir Khan; Amin N. Dharamsi

doi:10.1117/12.818574

30 April 2009 A quantitative measure for information content in antenna array radiation patterns

Karan D. Mohan, M. Amir Khan, Amin N. Dharamsi

Proceedings Volume 7310, Non-Intrusive Inspection Technologies II; 73100C (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.818574
Event: SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing, 2009, Orlando, Florida, United States

Abstract

We present a novel approach to quantifying and optimizing the amount of information available in radiation patterns. The technique presented and the results obtained are applicable on a broad scale, including those in infrared, nanophotonics and other non-intrusive sensing techniques. We investigate the amount of information lost due to limitations of the detector system. The method, which is based on information principles developed by Shannon, expands on the many conventional approaches to optimizing performance of sensors. The fundamental question of how many bits of information can be extracted by any sensor is addressed. We focus on answering this question for the measurement of the radiation pattern from an antenna array. The effects of a finite detector size, on the structure of the radiation pattern, are presented, and we quantify the relationship between loss of structure and loss of information. The work presented may be extended to a wide range of applications, including remote sensing. While the information content of antenna array radiation patterns is based on the spatial distribution of photons, the method presented is general and may be applied to a variety of distributions, such as lineshape functions, important in spectroscopy, where the information is contained in the frequency distribution of photons.

Citation Download Citation

Karan D. Mohan, M. Amir Khan, and Amin N. Dharamsi "A quantitative measure for information content in antenna array radiation patterns", Proc. SPIE 7310, Non-Intrusive Inspection Technologies II, 73100C (30 April 2009); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.818574

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