Wideband arrays and polarization synthesis

Array antennas may be required to produce arbitrary polarizations for best match to far field sources or receivers at arbitrary angles. A common presumption is that this requires radiating elements with phase center coincidence (PCC). This paper shows the results of extensive numerical experiments with three dual-polarization radiator types, two with phase center coincidence and one without. The three have comparable polarization performance as measured by the extent of the angular region and bandwidth over which low cross-polarization is maintained. Therefore, the added expense and/or loss of PCC radiating elements does not appear to be justified.