Programmable, intelligent surfaces can manipulate electromagnetic waves impinging upon them, producing arbitrarily shaped reflection, refraction and diffraction, to the benefit of wireless users. Moreover, in their recent form of HyperSurfaces, they have acquired inter-networking capabilities, enabling the Internet of Material Properties with immense potential in wireless communications. However, as with any system with inputs and outputs, accurate sensing of the impinging wave attributes is imperative for programming HyperSurfaces to obtain a required response. Related solutions include field nano-sensors embedded within HyperSurfaces to perform minute measurements over the area of the HyperSurface, as well as external sensing systems. The present work proposes a sensing system that can operate without such additional hardware. The novel scheme programs the HyperSurface to perform compressed sensing of the impinging wave via simple one-antenna power measurements. The HyperSurface can jointly be programmed for both wave sensing and wave manipulation duties at the same time. Evaluation via simulations validates the concept and highlight its promising potential.
@cite_14: We design and implement a multipixel spatial modulator for terahertz beams using active terahertz metamaterials. Our first-generation device consists of a 4×4 pixel array, where each pixel is an array of subwavelength-sized split-ring resonator elements fabricated on a semiconductor substrate, and is independently controlled by applying an external voltage. Through terahertz transmission experiments, we show that the spatial modulator has a uniform modulation depth of around 40 across all pixels, and negligible crosstalk, at the resonant frequency. This device can operate under small voltage levels, at room temperature, with low power consumption and reasonably high switching speed.
@cite_9: In this paper we propose and experimentally demonstrate arrays of graphene electro-absorption modulators as electrically reconfigurable patterns for terahertz cameras. The active element of these modulators consists of only single-atom-thick graphene, achieving a modulation of the THz wave reflectance > 50 with a potential modulation depth approaching 100 . Although the prototype presented here only contains 4x4 pixels, it reveals the possibility of developing reliable low-cost video-rate THz imaging systems employing single detector.
@cite_1: There has been increased interest in applying radio frequency (RF) imaging to solving problems in surveillance, situational awareness, and security screening. This has been brought about by recent advances and new programs in component development from 100 GHz to 1 THz. While no new phenomenology has been uncovered in this region, the potential to finally realize systems that can begin to approach the resolution of optical imaging while operating under adverse conditions of weather and obscuration has prompted new investments. Several of the issues, beyond mere component availability, that must be considered when developing these systems are reviewed. Additionally, previous analysis of two applications proposed to operate in the region above 100 GHz is reviewed: a landing aid system and a standoff security screening imager, both of which are greatly influenced by atmospheric effects.
@cite_12: The advent of negative index materials has spawned extensive research into metamaterials over the past decade. Metamaterials are attractive not only for their exotic electromagnetic properties, but also their promise for applications. A particular branch–the metamaterial perfect absorber (MPA)–has garnered interest due to the fact that it can achieve unity absorptivity of electromagnetic waves. Since its first experimental demonstration in 2008, the MPA has progressed significantly with designs shown across the electromagnetic spectrum, from microwave to optical. In this Progress Report we give an overview of the field and discuss a selection of examples and related applications. The ability of the MPA to exhibit extreme performance flexibility will be discussed and the theory underlying their operation and limitations will be established. Insight is given into what we can expect from this rapidly expanding field and future challenges will be addressed.
@cite_11: The programmable and digital metamaterials or metasurfaces presented recently have huge potentials in designing real-time-controlled electromagnetic devices. Here, we propose the first transmission-type 2-bit programmable coding metasurface for single-sensor and single- frequency imaging in the microwave frequency. Compared with the existing single-sensor imagers composed of active spatial modulators with their units controlled independently, we introduce randomly programmable metasurface to transform the masks of modulators, in which their rows and columns are controlled simultaneously so that the complexity and cost of the imaging system can be reduced drastically. Different from the single-sensor approach using the frequency agility, the proposed imaging system makes use of variable modulators under single frequency, which can avoid the object dispersion. In order to realize the transmission-type 2-bit programmable metasurface, we propose a two-layer binary coding unit, which is convenient for changing the voltages in rows and columns to switch the diodes in the top and bottom layers, respectively. In our imaging measurements, we generate the random codes by computer to achieve different transmission patterns, which can support enough multiple modes to solve the inverse-scattering problem in the single-sensor imaging. Simple experimental results are presented in the microwave frequency, validating our new single-sensor and single-frequency imaging system.
The same principles have been applied to RF imaging, via a concept known in this spectrum as single-radar imaging @cite_1 . In the RF case, the imaging process refers to the reconstruction of the wavefront that reaches a single user antenna. As in the 1-pixel camera, an actuation device similar to the mirror matrix is required, to generate the random multiple-mode modulators required for performing compressed sensing. Programmable metasurfaces have been shown to efficiently fit this role @cite_14 @cite_12 @cite_9 . RF imaging with metasurfaces has been successfully used for approximating the shape of planar met allic objects in space, by emitting waves that impinge upon these objects and then sensing and reconstructing the resulting wavefront @cite_11 .