Numerical and experimental verification of a trireflector compact antenna test range in the terahertz band

Numerical and measured results of the quiet zone performance of a trireflector compact antenna test range (CATR) system in the terahertz band are presented in this letter. A modular Gaussian beam (GB) analysis method, which consists of frame-based Gabor transformation, GB reflection and a 3D GB diffraction technique, was implemented to evaluate the quiet zone performance. Compared to geometrical optics method, this method is valid in predicting the field distribution in the caustic region. Moreover, simulation results of the CATR system demonstrated a superior efficiency to the physic optics method, especially in the terahertz range. Measured results show that 70% quiet zone usage can be achieved with amplitude and phase ripples less than 1.2 dB and 15°, respectively in the central frequencies. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 57:1686–1689, 2015