Measurement of Lightwave Antennas: Difficulties and Peculiarities in Comparison With Radio-Wave Antennas

A technique is described for measuring the far-field radiation pattern, gain, and the transmissivity of each portion of an aperture of lightwave (optical) antennas. First, the compatibility of lightwave antennas to a system is mentioned. Then, the principles and setup for each measurement term are presented. A comparison with radio-wave antennas is also given.