Reducing the Elements in a Uniform Concentric Circular Array Using Variable Projection

This paper presents a variable projection based method to reduce the number of elements in a uniform concentric circular array, while simultaneously reducing the maximum sidelobe level in the pattern. With the proposed method, we numerically demonstrate, using an example array, a reduction of 25% in the number of elements, while achieving ≈7 dB reduction in the maximum sidelobe level. The resulting array reasonably approximates the performance of an array with more elements and equivalent physical aperture.