Thinning of aperiodic antenna arrays for low side-lobe levels and broadband operation using genetic algorithms

In this paper we present and discuss the thinning of antenna arrays that are based on aperiodic tilings. Aperiodic tilings are a class of tilings that cover the plane without gaps or overlaps and do not exhibit any long-range translational symmetry. By utilizing these tilings in array design it is possible to generate naturally thinned arrays that exhibit broadband properties. We show that by using a genetic algorithm (GA) it is possible to further thin such aperiodic arrays in order to minimize the side-lobe levels (SLL) while simultaneously enhancing the desirable broadband properties. The technique is demonstrated by considering the design of a specific thinned aperiodic array and comparing its performance to a thinned periodic array