A Comparison of Different Methods for Fast Single-Cut Near-to-Far-Field Transformation

Near-field-to-far-field transformation algorithms have been developed during the last decades of the last century. Spherical near-field measurements are nowadays the most accurate technique for characterizing one antenna. However, one of the drawbacks is the requirement for a full spherical acquisition. This means a large number of scans, especially for very large antennas, requiring a long measurement time. This paper presents several techniques for performing a single-cut near-to-far-field transformation. An explanation of each algorithm, and a comparison among them for several antennas, are presented. The possibilities and limitations of the algorithms are discussed in the last section. This work was performed thanks to the mobility programs offered by the Antenna Networks in the European Union: European Association on Antennas and Propagation (EurAAP) and COST-VISTA action, allowing researchers from the three institutions to work together on this project.