SNO-Based Design of Wide-Angle Beam-Scanning Reflectarrays

In this article, the design of a passive reflectarray with beam-scanning capabilities over a wide scan range is addressed. The proposed approach is based on the use of an efficient evolutionary algorithm, Social Network Optimization, and on the definition of a proper optimization environment that allows the simultaneous optimization of the antenna radiation pattern for different pointing directions, keeping under control the computational cost of the procedure. The effectiveness of the method is validated through the experimental characterization of a prototype, whose performance is also compared with that of a conventional bifocal configuration.