Plotting Radiation Patterns for Uniform Linear Arrays and Uniform Circular Arrays Using MATLAB

This article demonstrates how to plot radiation patterns for uniform linear arrays (ULA) and uniform circular arrays (UCA) using MATLAB. We begin by explaining the fundamental concepts of ULA and UCA configurations, including their geometric structures and array factor formulations. The implementation section covers MATLAB coding techniques for configuring array parameters such as element spacing, number of elements, and operating frequency. Key computational aspects include calculating array steering vectors using phase shift operations and synthesizing radiation patterns through array factor multiplication with element patterns. The visualization process employs MATLAB's polarplot or patternCustom functions for 2D/3D pattern display, with emphasis on normalizing gain values and setting appropriate axis scales. Finally, we analyze pattern characteristics like beamwidth and sidelobe levels, discussing practical applications in signal processing beamforming and antenna design optimization.