Effects of random errors on the performance of antenna arrays of many elements

A theoretical statistical analysis is presented in which a study was performed to determine the effect of random current excitation errors upon the radiation characteristics of a two-dimensional array of identical radiators. A statistical model is developed and it is then argued that this model closely approximates the nature of the radiated electric field produced by an array of a large number of current elements, where the individual element currents are in error both in amplitude and phase. The analysis has been applied to the study of the following antenna characteristics: (1) maximum sidelobe level within a specified cone about the main beam, (2) maximum sidelobe level in the remainder of the half space outside the specified cone, and (3) beam pointing accuracy.