PARABOLIC REFLECTOR

Early use : radar application in World War II,

radio astronomy, microwave communication,
satellite tracking, deep space communication.
Plane Reflector
Corner Reflector

PARABOLIC REFLECTOR
Overall radiation characteristics is upgraded.
Focal Point : Parallel beam converges at this point
after reflection and vice versa.
Vertex : Symmetrical point on the surface
Axis : Line joining the focal point and the vertex

Different types of Feed

Front-fed

Cassegrain-fed

Primary reflector is a parabola

Transmitter/receiver is at and the secondary is a hyperbola
focus
Feed is placed along the axis of
Long transmission line
the parabola near vertex; some
times behind the primary reflector
Used for pattern control

Different types of parabolic reflector

Parabolic Right Cylinder

Energy is collimated at a
line parallel to the axis of
the cylinder through the
focal point of the reflector.
Source feed- linear dipole,
linear array or a slotted
waveguide.

Paraboloid

Formed by rotating the

parabola around its axis.
Feed- pyramidal/conical horn
Produce high gain pencil
beam with low side lobes and
good cross-polarization
Widely used for low-noise

Difference between cylinder & paraboloid

The amplitude taper, due to variations in distance from
the feed to the surface of the reflector, is proportional to
(1/p) in a cylinder compared to (1/r2) in a paraboloid.
The focal region is a line-source for a cylinder and a point
source for a paraboloid.
When the fields of the feed are linearly polarized parallel
to axis of the cylinder, no cross-polarization happens; but
that does not happen for paraboloid.
Cylinders are mechanically simpler to build and also

give larger aperture blockage, but they do not possess

attractive characters of a paraboloid.
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Surface geometry
The surface is formed by rotating a parabola about its axis.
OP + PQ = 2f since OP = r and PQ = r cos
Hence, '
'

r 1 cos 2 f

'
2f
2
r
f sec
'
1 cos
2
'

for 0

Again from Snells law,

= = /2

Surface geometry
In terms of rectangular co-ordinates,
r ' r ' cos ' ( x' ) 2 ( y ' ) 2 ( z ' ) 2 ( z ' ) 2 f

x' 2 y' 2 4 f ( f z ' ) with x' 2 y ' 2 d 2 2

2
2
2

x0 y0
d 2
d2
z f
f
f
0

4f
4f
If 0 is the subtended angle, then
d 2

0 tan
z0
1

Putting z0 , we get -

16 f

z0 - distance along axis from focal

point to the edge of the rim

d
0
f cot

4
2
7

Induced current density

To determine the radiation characteristics (pattern, gain,
efficiency, polarization etc.) of a parabolic reflector, the
current density induced on its surface must be known, which

i r
i
r
is given as-

J s n H H

2n H

2n H

If the reflecting surface is in the far-field of the source

generating the incident waves, then the equation can also be

r 2
r
written as
J s 2n H n sr E

------(1)

r
Where is the intrinsic impedance of the medium, are
Er
radial unit vectors along the path of reflected wave and is
the reflected electric fields.

Gain function & electric field

If a y-polarized source with a gain function of G f ' , '
is placed at the focal point of a parabolic reflector, the
radiation intensity of the source is given by
Pt : total radiated power.

Pt
U ' , '
G f ' , '
4

The incident field, with a direction perpendicular to

the radial distance, can be written as
E r ' , ' , ' ei

Pt
G f ' , '
2

e jkr '
r'

where ei is the unit vector perpendicular to a r ' and

parallel to the plane formed by a r ' and a y .
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Reflected electric field & Current density

Then the reflected field Er at r(the reflection point),
due to the reflector currents, is given by
jkr '
e
----(2)
E r r ' , ' , ' e C G ' , '
r

r'

er : unit vector along the polarization of the reflected field

Then, putting value of E in equation (1) and sr a z ,
r

it can be written as

e jkr '
Js 2
C1 G f ' , '
u ----(3)

r'
where
' -----(4)

u n a z er a z n.er er cos

10

Analysis of radiation characteristics

Two techniques for analyzing the performance
Aperture Distribution Method
Current Distribution Method

In 1st method, the field reflected by the paraboloid

surface is first found over a plane normal to axis.
Equivalent sources are then formed over the plane and
these are used to compute the radiated field.
And in 2nd method, induced current density Js is
formulated over the illuminated surface of the reflector
and then this Js is integrated over the surface of the
reflector to yield the far-zone radiation fields.
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Approximations
The following approximations are made The current density is zero on the shadow side(S2) of
the reflector.
The discontinuity of the current density over the
rim(T) f the reflector is neglected.
Direct radiation from the feed
and aperture blockage by the
feed are neglected.

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Current distribution method

Using the potential function method, the E and H fields
radiated by the sources J and M for far field can be
written as
jkr '.a r '
jkr

Ej
e J J .a r a r
M a r e
dv
4r

jkr '.a r '

jkr

H j
e M M .a r a r
J a r e
dv
4r

If the current distributions are introduced by electric

and magnetic field incident on a perfect electric

0
conducting
surface, the fields created by those
currents are known as scattered fields.
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Current distribution method

If the conducting surface is closed, then the far zone
fields can be reduced by letting M =0 and reducing
the volume integral to a surface integral with the
surface current density J replaced by a linear current J s
density Thus,

jkr
jkr '.a r
'

Es j
e J s J s .ar ar e
ds
4r
S

jkr
jkr '.a r
Hs j
e J s a r e
ds '
4r
S
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Geometrical arrangement of surface

The total scattered fields would be the sum of
surface currents over the illuminated area(S1)
surface charges over the illuminated area(S1)
line charge distribution over boundary T(effect zero in far zone)

The total fields can be obtained by a superposition of the

radiation from the primary source in directions greater
than 0 and that scattered
by the surface as obtained by
current distribution method.

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Radiated field components

The far zone electric field of a parabolic reflector,
neglecting the direct radiation, has two components

jkr
jkr '.a r

E j
e
a
.
J
e
ds '
0
s

4r
S1

jkr
jkr . a

E j
e
a
.
J
e
ds '

4r
S
where
'
2
ds' r ' sin ' sec d ' d '
2
Now, putting values from eqn (2),(3),(4) into eqn(5)
r

jkr

e
E j
C1e jkr a .I j
2r
2r
jkr

e
E j
C1e jkr a .I j
2r
2r

Pt
a .I
2

Pt
a .I
2

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Current distributions
Where
2 0

'
I t er cos

2
0 0

2 0

I z a z n.er
0 0

I It I z
G f ' , '
r'

G f ' , '
r'

e jkr '1sin 'sin cos( ' ) cos 'cos

r '

'
sin ' sec
d ' d '
2

e jkr '1sin 'sin cos( ' ) cos 'cos

r '

'
sin ' sec
d ' d '
2

The radiated field components obtained from current

distribution method and
I z aperture distribution method lead to
similar results when component is neglected.
Iz

becomes negligible for = region.

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Directivity & aperture efficiency

Let us assume that the feed pattern G f ' , '
is
circularly symmetric (independent of ) and
G f ' 0 for ' 900
Assuming I I t , (as I z 0 for =) the total E-field
in the direction of (=) is given by either E or E 2f
E r , j

Pt

12

jk ( r 2 f )

'
d '
G f tan
2

'

Then the power intensity (power/unit solid angle) in

the forward direction of (=) reduces to 16
U
2

Pt
f
4
2

'
G f ' tan
d '
2

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Directivity & aperture efficiency

Then the antenna directivity in the forward direction can
2
be written as 4U U 16 2
'
D0

2 f 2 G f ' tan d '

0

Pt 4

Pt

The focal length is related to the angular spectrum and the

diameter d by
d
D0

cot
2

'
G f ' tan d '
2

Then aperture efficiency is defined as

2
0

'
2 0
ap cot
G f ' tan
d '
2
2 0

It is a function of the subtended angle and the feed pattern

of the reflector.
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applications
The most common modern applications of the parabolic
reflector are in satellite dishes, reflecting telescopes,
radio telescopes, parabolic microphones, and many
lighting devices such as spotlights, car headlights, PAR
cans and LED housings.
Liquid mirror telescope is prepared using the concept of
forming paraboloid.
Parabolic reflectors are a popular alternative for
increasing wireless signal strength.

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Advantage & disadvantage

It is an ideal collimating device. It brings the energy to
the focal point from a distant source; similarly, it can be
used to project energy source present at its focus.
In contrast with spherical reflectors, which suffer from a
spherical aberration(d/f ratio becoming larger), parabolic
reflectors can be made to accommodate beams of any
width. However, if the incoming beam makes a non-zero
angle with the axis, parabolic reflectors suffer from an
aberration called coma.
It is severely handicapped in angular scanning. By
contrast, spherical reflector is better of use.
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