Abstract
A novel type of the diffraction antennas is suggested and analyzed. The antenna involves a diffraction structure of a cylindrical geometry in the capacity of the feed element. Characteristics of the antenna system with a feed element of a convex cylindrical geometry are investigated. The antenna system represents a diffraction grating excited by a dielectric waveguide. The operating principle of the system is based on the conversion of the surface waves of the dielectric waveguide into spatial waves radiated by the diffraction grating. As a result of the performed experimental investigations the possibility in principle of creation of the radiators of the kind is shown and versions of new approaches to the development of fastscanning radiating apertures are presented. A series of limitations have been determined which make it possible to optimize the procedure of selecting the optimum parameters of the antenna elements.