A hybrid perturbative technique to characterize the coupling between a corrugated horn and a reflector dish

In this paper the electromagnetic coupling between a corrugated horn and a reflector dish is analyzed with a new hybrid perturbative technique. This coupling may produce significant modifications especially in the return loss and in the crosspolar pattern of the feed. The hybrid perturbative approach combines three different techniques: a mode matching (MM) technique for the propagation inside the horn, a method of moments (MoM) technique for the radiation of the horn taking into account the external part of the horn itself, and a fast Gaussian beam asymptotic physical optics (FGBAPO) technique for the interactions between the feed and the reflector. Some measurements and the comparison with rigorous numerical results demonstrate the accuracy of the new hybrid technique and the effects of this electromagnetic coupling on the feed performance.