Phased Array Antenna Handbook (Third Edition) [Book Review]

Abstract

The third edition of the "Phased Array Antenna Handbook" is a very welcome addition to the antenna field. It brings together many ideas and techniques that one would normally have to search through the literature to find. The book is a comprehensive treatment of phased array antennas written by a single author, and it is thus an integrated text that flows smoothly from one topic to another. The publication does not contain homework problems, but the material is presented in such a sufficiently explanatory manner that it could be used as a textbook for a course on phased or antenna arrays, in general, or as a supplement to a course on antennas. The book contains nine chapters, and it has a total length of 530 pages. The text focuses on the antenna aspects of phased arrays and, thus, focuses on aspects related to the radiation patterns of a phased array, along with the antenna elements that are used in phased arrays, and other antenna-related concepts such as mutual coupling in antenna arrays (and their associated effects on scan behavior such as scan blindness). Phased arrays are steadily gaining in relevance with applications in 5G and many other systems, both military and commercial. Better affordability and a wider variety of applications ensures this positive trend. Subsequently, this third edition is a most welcome addition to the antennas and propagation community. This latest edition has been updated to include new contributions to scanning antennas based on reflectors and lenses, as well as thinned arrays, and a more contemporary presentation of numerical methods for pattern synthesis has also been provided. The book provides a comprehensive coverage of all aspects of phased arrays from an antenna point of view, and it also provides an excellent overview of systemlevel aspects of phased arrays in the first chapter. It is very well written by a leading expert in the field, and it is one of the few texts written entirely on phased arrays. As such, it is a must-have publication for every antenna engineer, system engineer, scientist, or practitioner who works with or is interested in phased arrays. This book will also make a great supplement for instructors who teach a course in antenna engineering and who wish to cover phased arrays as part of their course topics.