The effect of electric field polarization on indoor propagation

Abstract

We have carried out a study on the effects of electric field polarization on the received power in indoor locations predicted using a 3-D ray tracing tool. We assess the importance of including depolarization losses when considering propagation between vertically polarized antennas. These losses are incurred as the vertically polarized electric field is coupled into the horizontally polarized field as a result of scattering and reflection from walls. Also examined was the predicted strength of cross-polarization when the field is launched by a vertically polarized antenna and received by a horizontally polarized antenna. Finally we have looked at how do the predicted propagation losses compare for the case of using horizontally polarized antennas at both the receiver and the transmitter as opposed to using vertically polarized antennas at both ends. The results compare favorably to measurements reported in the literature.