A Group-Sparse Compressed Sensing Approach for Thinning Multi-Carrier Frequency Diverse Arrays

Frequency diverse arrays can achieve range-angle-dependent beampattern due to the change in frequency between the successive antenna elements. Using multi-carrier frequency diverse arrays can provide a higher degree of freedom that can be exploited to focus the transmitted energy in a small range-angle region by creating a dot-shaped beampattern. This letter proposes an algorithm based on group-sparse recovery and convex optimization for thinning multi-carrier frequency diverse arrays. The algorithm ensures that the turned off antennas have a negligible effect on the beampattern for all multi-carrier frequencies assigned to them. Numerical results showed that the proposed algorithm can save about 25% of the antenna elements compared to the existing synthesis methods under the required constraints on the radiation pattern.