Equatorially and near-equatorially radiating arc-shaped polarization current antennas and related methods

A method of operating a polarization current antenna having an arc-shaped dielectric radiator that is configured to emit electromagnetic radiation into an equatorial plane defined by a radius of the arc-shaped dielectric radiator, the method comprising:

• generating a polarization current wave in the arc-shaped dielectric radiator, where the polarization current antenna is configured so that the polarization current wave will have a pre-selected speed at the outer radius of the arc-shaped dielectric radiator, where the pre-selected speed is selected so that a beam of non-spherically decaying electromagnetic radiation that is generated by the polarization current wave has a pre-selected angular elevation beamwidth.

62-79. (canceled)

A method of operating a polarization current antenna that has an arc-shaped dielectric radiator, the method comprising:

• applying an electric field to the arc-shaped dielectric radiator that generates a polarization current wave within the arc-shaped dielectric radiator, wherein the speed of the polarization current wave is greater than c along both an inner radius of the arc-shaped dielectric radiator and along an outer radius of the arc-shaped dielectric radiator, where c is the speed of light in vacuum,
• wherein the arc-shaped dielectric radiator includes a top surface, a bottom surface that is opposite the top surface, an inner surface, and an outer surface that is opposite the inner surface, the outer surface being longer than the inner surface, wherein the polarization current antenna further includes a plurality of electrodes that are mounted on the top surface of the arc-shaped dielectric radiator, and wherein electromagnetic radiation generated by the polarization current wave is emitted through the outer surface of the arc-shaped dielectric radiator.