A Modified Wolf Pack Algorithm for Multiconstrained Sparse Linear Array Synthesis

The aim of the research is to propose a new optimization method for the multiconstrained optimization of sparse linear arrays (including the constraints of the number of elements, the aperture of arrays, and the minimum distance between adjacent elements). The new method is a modified wolf pack optimization algorithm based on the quantum theory. In the new method, wolves are coded by Bloch spherical coordinates of quantum bits, updated by quantum revolving gates, and selectively adaptively mutated when performing poorly. Because of the three-coordinate characteristics of the sphere, the number of global optimum solutions is greatly expanded and ultimately can be searched with a higher probability. Selective mutation enhances the robustness of the algorithm and improves the search speed. Furthermore, because the size of each dimension of Bloch spherical coordinates is always [−1, 1], the variables transformed by solution space must satisfy the constraints of the aperture of arrays and the minimum distance between adjacent elements, which effectively avoids infallible solutions in the process of updating and mutating the position of the wolf group, reduces the judgment steps, and improves the efficiency of optimization. The validity and robustness of the proposed method are verified by the simulation of two typical examples, and the optimization efficiency of the proposed method is higher than the existing methods.