Polarization efficiency statistics

The mean and RMS (root-mean-square) statistics of the polarization efficiency between an incident wave and a receiving antenna are derived. The mean polarization efficiency equals or exceeds one-half when the handedness of the incident field and receiving antenna is similar and is less than or equal to one-half when the handedness is dissimilar. The standard deviation of the polarization efficiency has a significantly higher value than that anticipated from Gaussian statistics. These statistics provide estimates for the sensitivity loss in system operation and provide values for polarization mismatch loss needed in error budget projections of measurement accuracy or RF system performance.<>