New Multi-Disk Faraday Rotator Approach for High-Power Radar Duplexers

Radar plays a crucial role in the increasingly important field of space situational awareness, essential for the protection of critical space infrastructure. This is achieved through radars for space observation such as the Tracking and Imaging Radar (TIRA) located near Bonn, Germany, and several other radars around the world. As technological progress leads to smaller objects in terrestrial orbit, more sensitive high-resolution systems are needed to detect, track, and image these space objects. To enhance radar signal sensitivity, high power levels and efficient power transmission are essential. Additionally, achieving a higher spatial resolution necessitates radars with greater bandwidths, which can be more easily realized at higher frequencies. A promising solution for an efficient high-power transmission with a monostatic radar system is a quasi-optical duplexer, with a Faraday rotator serving as a key component. This contribution presents the theoretical design of a high-power Faraday rotator in the Ka band, considering losses and heat generation. It focuses on the potential for air cooling and a flexible material selection using a novel multi-disk approach. This may allow operation at even higher power levels than current state-of-the-art Faraday rotators.