Simulation of synthetic array antenna using the TLM method

The simulation of dipole antenna and the simulation procedure are firstly reviewed. Based on this, unfocused and focused synthetic arrays are simulated. Simulations show that, in the unfocused case, the length of synthetic array is limited, because the phase error is not compensated; in the focused case, however, the length can be longer because the phase error is compensated. The beam width is related to the distance between the target and antenna. From the simulation of focused synthetic arrays, we can see that the limitation for the length of synthetic arrays is not the same as for unfocused synthetic arrays. This conclusion agrees with the basic theory of synthetic aperture radar.