RF Glossary: P | Terms Starting with P

PA (Power Amplifier) — An amplifier designed to deliver high RF power output to drive antennas or other loads, typically the final stage in a transmitter chain.

Passband — The range of frequencies that a filter allows to pass with minimal attenuation.

Passive Intermodulation (PIM) — Intermodulation distortion generated by passive components such as connectors, cables, and antennas due to nonlinear contact junctions.

Phase Noise — Random fluctuations in the phase of an oscillator signal, measured in dBc/Hz at a specified offset from the carrier frequency.

Phase Shifter — A device that changes the phase of an RF signal by a controlled amount while maintaining constant amplitude.

Phased Array — An antenna system using multiple elements with electronically controlled phase to steer the beam direction without mechanical movement.

Polarization — The orientation of the electric field vector of an electromagnetic wave as it propagates through space.

Power Divider (Power Splitter) — A passive device that splits an input signal into two or more output signals with specified power ratios and phase relationships.

Propagation Constant — A complex number describing how an electromagnetic wave changes in amplitude and phase as it propagates along a transmission line.

Pulse Compression — A radar technique that transmits a long coded pulse and processes the return to achieve the resolution of a much shorter pulse.

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