Citation
Abstract
Orbital angular momentum (OAM) is a property of electromagnetic waves that can be visualized as a “spiral wavefront” in which surfaces of constant phase are helical surfaces, and the wave’s Poynting vector spirals about a central axis. Traditional applications of Deep Space Network (DSN) antennas use more-or-less planar wavefronts with zero OAM, but this is not the only propagating wave solution to Maxwell’s equations: Other solutions are possible that have non-zero OAM. We designed a special reflective phase plate for insertion to the feed system of DSN 34-m beam-waveguide antennas, that enables both transmission and reception of radio-frequency waves with m = 1 OAM. The use of OAM could enable new communication, radar, and science applications for the DSN.
Details
- Volume
- 42-215
- Published
- November 15, 2018
- Pages
- 1–11
- File Size
- 9.5 MB