Fully-interleaved linear arrays with predictable sidelobes based on almost difference sets

The present study proposes an analytical technique based on almost difference sets (ADSs) for thedesign of interleaved linear arrays with well-behavedand predictable radiation features. Thanks to themathematical properties of ADSs, such a methodology allows the design of interlaced arrangements withpeak sidelobe levels (PSLs) only dependent on the aperture size, the number of elements of each subarrayand the behaviour of the autocorrelation function of the ADS at hand. PSL bounds are analytically derivedand an extensive numerical validation is provided to assess the reliability, the computational efficiency andthe effectiveness of the proposed approach. It is worth noticing that, although without any optimisation,such an analytic techniques still able to improve (on average≃0.3 dB) the performances of GA-optimisedlayouts.