The excitation efficiency of surface waves on a reactive surface by a finite vertical aperture

Excitation of surface waves on a reactive surface by a finite vertical aperture is considered in this paper. A valid method of computing the surface wave excitation efficiency is presented firstly. Then the maximum excitation efficiency and corresponding aperture height as a function of surface reactance is obtained. Even including the reflection wave power, the maximum excitation efficiency can reach ~95% when the surface reactance (X_s) is j250Ω. These results are useful for selecting a suitable surface reactance X_s and designing a high efficient surface wave aperture transducer.