COMPUTER MODELING OF ANTENNAS NEAR THE GROUND

ABSTRACT An accurate and efficient numerical method based on the rigorous Sommer-feld theory is described for modeling antennas near an interface such as the ground. The Sommerfeld integrals are evaluated by numerical integration along contours in the complex plane and two-dimensional interpolation is used subsequently to obtain the many Sommerfeld integral values needed for the moment-method solution of an integral equation. These methods permit modeling an antenna within 10-6 wavelengths of the ground for about two to four times the computation time for the same antenna in free space. Results showing currents and radiation patterns are included.