Power Relations and a Consistent Analytical Model for Receiving Wire Antennas

The main objective of this paper is to provide a self-consistent analytical model for the approximate current distribution induced on an arbitrarily loaded wire antenna of moderate length operating in its receiving mode. The results of our analysis shed light on a debated issue regarding the circuit model of a receiving antenna and show that currently available simplified analytical models for receiving dipoles fail to satisfy basic power conservation requirements. These general findings are applied to the proper homogenization of composite materials and surfaces, and to minimum-scattering receivers and absorbers.