Simulation of two Small Interacting Antennas

In summary, the conversation discusses the simulation of two small interacting antennas with fields and forces in 3D, preferably with free software. The application is to explore the retardation effects of the forces between current carrying wires, with the distance between them being a half wavelength. The conversation also touches on the importance of mass and the difference between current carrying wires and antennas or dipoles. The concept of retarded potentials and the use of standing or traveling waves in the simulation is also mentioned.
  • #1
bob012345
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I would like to simulate two small interacting antenna's with fields and forces in 3D.
I would like to simulate two small interacting antenna's with fields and forces in 3D. They can be simple wire antenna. I am asking if there is a recommendation for software that can reasonably accurately handle that which is free? Thanks.
 
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  • #2
When you say "small", do you mean electriclly small, as in way less than half a wavelength? And why are you asking about forces -- is this more than an antenna array pattern problem?
 
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  • #3
berkeman said:
When you say "small", do you mean electriclly small, as in way less than half a wavelength? And why are you asking about forces -- is this more than an antenna array pattern problem?
Thanks. I am not primarily interested in antenna's per se I but I mean physically small ~cm length wires with oscillating currents near each other. I am interested in the fields and forces especially with retardation effects.
 
  • #4
How near each other? What frequencies? Sounds like interacting oscillating electrical dipoles? Can you say what the application is, or would you rather not? Do you have access to any of the COMSOL simulation suite?
 
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  • #5
berkeman said:
How near each other? What frequencies? Sounds like interacting oscillating electrical dipoles? Can you say what the application is, or would you rather not? Do you have access to any of the COMSOL simulation suite?

The application is to explore the retardation effects of the forces between current carrying wires. The two currents will be a quarter period out of phase and the distance will be I believe a half wavelength such that the field and current interaction is in sync on both wires. ie. the forces end up in the same direction. I have no direct access to COMSOL unless they offer a free hobbyist version as some companies do. I think the frequency will be in the microwave regime.
 
  • #6
Current carrying wires or antennas or dipoles? It makes a difference. What range of EM field strengths versus the mass of the wires/antennas or the mass & dipole moments?

The more information you can give, the better the responses we can try to provide you.
 
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  • #7
berkeman said:
Current carrying wires or antennas or dipoles? It makes a difference. What range of EM field strengths versus the mass of the wires/antennas or the mass & dipole moments?

The more information you can give, the better the responses we can try to provide you.
Since the purpose is to study this I don't have all the exact answers up front but I would say, current carrying wires, not antenna's or dipoles with on the order of 1 to a few amps of current. Total power ~10-100 Watts. Mass of wires ~grams. Magnetic field strength ~##10^{-5}T## to ##10^{-4}T##. Why is mass important?
 
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  • #8
Lordy. I have no idea where you are going with this. So you have 100W of AC RF power magically coupled into a 1cm piece of wire and you are asking what forces will be induced on another 1cm piece of wire a few cm away? And this is a schoolwork-type question (even for self-study)?
 
  • #9
berkeman said:
Lordy. I have no idea where you are going with this. So you have 100W of AC RF power magically coupled into a 1cm of wire and you are asking what forces will be induced on another 1cm piece of wire a few cm away? And this is a schoolwork-type question (even for self-study)?
Sorry, I guess I really do not understand what your point is. Please elaborate. Thanks.
 
  • #10
bob012345 said:
I am interested in the fields and forces especially with retardation effects.
It sounds to me like you are making a current balance from a parallel wire transmission line where the distance between the lines is great when measured in wavelengths.

A similar concept would be to simulate or measure the physical forces between the parallel dipole elements of a Yagi antenna.

What do you mean by "retardation effects" ?
 
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  • #11
bob012345 said:
Sorry, I guess I really do not understand what your point is. Please elaborate. Thanks.
How do you magically couple 100W of TX power into your 1cm TX antenna?
 
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  • #12
berkeman said:
How do you magically couple 100W of TX power into your 1cm TX antenna?
That's not what I mean. I have two circuits where the wires of each come close at some point for some distance to measure the interaction between them. Each wire has an oscillating current. They interact. I want to simulate that.
 
  • #13
Baluncore said:
It sounds to me like you are making a current balance from a parallel wire transmission line where the distance between the lines is great when measured in wavelengths.
Where the distance is ~ wavelengths.
Baluncore said:
A similar concept would be to simulate or measure the physical forces between the parallel dipole elements of a Yagi antenna.
I'll have to check that out, thanks.
Baluncore said:
What do you mean by "retardation effects" ?
The finite speed of light. Retarded potentials.

https://www.gaussianwaves.com/2021/10/retarded-potentials/
 
  • #14
bob012345 said:
The finite speed of light. Retarded potentials.
Are the RF currents on the conducting elements traveling or standing waves.
 
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  • #15
Baluncore said:
Are the RF currents on the conducting elements traveling or standing waves.
I want the currents to rise and fall with little variation over the length of the short wire segment if possible. That may imply a standing wave with longer wavelength than the wire segment.

BTW, I think longer wires would work with either as long as the phase relationship was maintained.
 
  • #16
bob012345 said:
I want the currents to rise and fall with little variation over the length of the short wire segment if possible.
Standing waves will have static current nulls and will need to be tuned to the elements. I don't think that is what you want.

Travelling waves will not have current nodes, but traveling waves will need somewhere to go, such as a dummy load or a long lossy line. The traveling wave is probably easier to model numerically, but harder to fund experimentally due to power consumption.
 
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  • #17
Baluncore said:
Standing waves will have static current nulls and will need to be tuned to the elements. I don't think that is what you want.
I just want two current carrying wires with a set phase relationship to each other. It can be a standing wave as long as the current produces a magnetic field that propagates out of the wire like a plain single conductor wire does.
Baluncore said:
Travelling waves will not have current nodes, but traveling waves will need somewhere to go, such as a dummy load or a long lossy line. The traveling wave is probably easier to model numerically, but harder to fund experimentally due to power consumption.
I'm not seeking research grants for this. I just want to run a few simulations to see if this concept works at all. Any thoughts regarding free software recommendations?
 
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  • #18
  • #19
You did not mention the frequency range. Might you be looking for mutual induction at power frequency rather than a RF antenna?
 
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  • #20
anorlunda said:
You did not mention the frequency range. Might you be looking for mutual induction at power frequency rather than a RF antenna?
It would probably have to be around 1 GHZ. I'm looking to model and understand the physical forces of interaction of the lines, cables, wires, whatever and their phases. Similar to the standard example of two current carrying wires but at high frequency. I am asking for simulation software recommendations hopefully available for free. I am not a microwave design expert, I just want to explore an idea I have had which I mentioned in post #5 above and see it it works at all in simulation.
 
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  • #21
I'm sorry these posts haven't been very helpful, and instead beat around the bush by asking details about your studies instead of answering your question. The only option I know of is what berkeman said, which was COMSOL. I don't think there's any free software of such quality.
 
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  • #22
bob012345 said:
I am asking for simulation software recommendations hopefully available for free.
You are mixing too many interactions into one model. If the forces do not result in physical movement, then you could solve for all complex currents, using an antenna modelling code such as NEC. Then post process to compute the magnetic fields using FEM, and compute the forces on the conductor currents in the magnetic field.

It might be easier to make a very simple model and do some vector calculus.

For some reason you will not explain why you want to investigate this.
Searching for an impossible goal will finally increase the complexity of the solution beyond the capacity of the reasoning brain. Something must give, you turn to simulation.

There is usually a good reason why a particular configuration or interaction is not employed, or is difficult to simulate. I suspect you have made a false assumption, or missed a critical step in the analysis. Simulation will not compensate for analysis.
 
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  • #23
Baluncore said:
You are mixing too many interactions into one model. If the forces do not result in physical movement, then you could solve for all complex currents, using an antenna modelling code such as NEC. Then post process to compute the magnetic fields using FEM, and compute the forces on the conductor currents in the magnetic field.
I don't have a model yet. I want to develop one. Your suggestion is helpful as a process to my goal. Thanks.
Baluncore said:
It might be easier to make a very simple model and do some vector calculus.
I can do that too. Thanks.
Baluncore said:
For some reason you will not explain why you want to investigate this.
Searching for an impossible goal will finally increase the complexity of the solution beyond the capacity of the reasoning brain. Something must give, you turn to simulation.
I thought I did explain the purpose of the study in post #5.
Baluncore said:
There is usually a good reason why a particular configuration or interaction is not employed, or is difficult to simulate. I suspect you have made a false assumption, or missed a critical step in the analysis. Simulation will not compensate for analysis.
Of course that all could be true but all I did was ask for suggestions of free EM simulation software so I don't see the need to make any assumptions beyond that.
 
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  • #24
bob012345 said:
I thought I did explain the purpose of the study in post #5.
bob012345 said:
The two currents will be a quarter period out of phase and the distance will be I believe a half wavelength such that the field and current interaction is in sync on both wires. ie. the forces end up in the same direction.
That is all too complex for one brain. It seems you are expecting both wires to motor themselves in the same direction which, as a closed system, defies the laws of physics as much as does pulling yourself up by your bootlaces.
Sine*Cosine will be zero, no matter how many ± λ/2 delays are introduced.
Are you designing an anti-gravity levitator ?
or maybe a linear motor that runs along a transmission line ?
 
  • #25
Baluncore said:
Are you designing an anti-gravity levitator ?
The Mentors have been dicsussuing this thread for a while now.

Thread is locked.
 
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FAQ: Simulation of two Small Interacting Antennas

What is the purpose of simulating two small interacting antennas?

The purpose of simulating two small interacting antennas is to study the behavior and performance of these antennas when they are placed in close proximity to each other. This can help in designing better antenna systems with improved efficiency and reduced interference.

What factors are considered in the simulation of two small interacting antennas?

The simulation of two small interacting antennas takes into account various factors such as antenna size, shape, orientation, distance between the antennas, and the surrounding environment. These factors can affect the radiation pattern, impedance, and other characteristics of the antennas.

What are the different methods used for simulating two small interacting antennas?

There are various methods used for simulating two small interacting antennas, such as the method of moments, finite element method, finite difference time domain method, and finite difference frequency domain method. Each method has its own advantages and limitations, and the choice of method depends on the specific requirements of the simulation.

How accurate are the results obtained from simulating two small interacting antennas?

The accuracy of the results obtained from simulating two small interacting antennas depends on the chosen simulation method, the complexity of the antenna system, and the accuracy of the input parameters. Generally, the results are considered to be accurate if they are within a certain percentage of the measured or theoretical values.

What are the applications of simulating two small interacting antennas?

The simulation of two small interacting antennas has various applications in the field of wireless communication, radar systems, and satellite communication. It can also be used in the design and optimization of antenna systems for different frequencies and applications, such as mobile phones, Wi-Fi, and satellite communication.

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