天线的极化

       An important property of an electromagnetic wave is its polarization, a quantity describing the orientation of the electric field E.

 

       Consider a plane wave traveling out of the page (positive z direction), with the electric field at all times in the y direction. This wave is said to be linearly polarized ( in the y direction). 

 

 

       In general, the electric field of a wave traveling in the z direction may have both a y component and an x component. In this more general situation the wave is said to be elliptically polarized. Two extreme cases of elliptical polarization correspond to circular polarization, and linear polarization. For circular polarization E1=E2, while for linear polarization E1=0.

 

 

       The concept of polarization extends to antennas. Thus, an antenna which radiates a linearly polarized wave can be described as a linearly polarized antenna, as, for example, a dipole antenna. Likewise, an antenna which radiates a circularly polarized wave can be called a circularly polarized antenna, as for example, a monofilar axial-mode helical antenna.

 

 

       FM电台采用圆极化或者水平/垂直双极化,因为家庭FM接收天线基本上是水平的，而车载FM接收天线大多是垂直的。几乎所有的电视台都采用水平极化方式。如果采用圆极化，会产生重影。因此如果电视天线使用圆极化天线，会产生6dB的衰减。AM电台都使用垂直极化，因为地面波只能工作在垂直极化方式。FM和TV没有这个问题，因为它们工作在VHF或者更高的频段，使用直达或者散射波的形式，不使用地面波，因此能够使用水平极化。移动通信系统一般使用垂直极化方式；现在也开始使用+45/-45的双极化方式。卫星通信系统中，目前亚洲ITU-3区域约有九成的卫星是使用线性波极化来送讯号的；对于少数使用圆极化的卫星，需要在卫星接收天线中插入极化器。极化器基本上有两种：一种是在波导内插入介质片，另一种是在圆波导中通过轴线的纵面内对称插入多颗螺钉构成，也称作移相器。

 

       Note that the electromagnetic wave produced by an antenna is polarized; that is, its electric field is parallel to the antenna’s conductor.

 

 

       When receiving the wave, the wave’s electric fields accelerate the electrons of the material making up the antenna. The acceleration is largest when the antenna is positioned in the same direction as the wave polarization; that is, when it is parallel to the direction of the wave’s electric fields.

 

 

       You can understand the polarization of electromagnetic wave by observing the polarization of light. Have you ever looked at light reflected off a road through polarizing sun-glasses? As you rotate the glasses, the road first appears to be dark, then light, and then dark again. That’s the polarization of light. Light from a lamp, however, changes very little as the glasses are rotated. Why is there a difference? Normal lamplight is not polarized.  However, the light that is coming from the road is reflected and has become polarized.

 

 

       Polarization can be understood by considering a rope model of light waves. The transverse mechanical waves in the rope represent transverse light waves. The slot represents what is referred to as the polarizing axis of a polarizing medium. When the rope waves are parallel to the slot, they pass through.