Efficient phase-only transmit beamforming: a comprehensive analysis

In this paper, we solve the problem of phase-only transmit beamforming to synthesize an arbitrarily wide beam. Specifically, we devise the complex weights sharing the same amplitudes (transmitter saturation) but different phases such that the mainlobe beam is flat. This approach is useful for a search radar that needs to scan the region of interest in a short time. More importantly, the computation of the weights is performed without using any iterative and time-demanding optimization procedure. The performance analysis is conducted by considering different pointing directions that can be critical for phased arrays since they can significantly distort the main beam. For comparison purposes, a simple iterative competitor is considered.