Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Programmable metasurfaces (PMs), also called reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs), are planar structures capable of dynamically manipulating electromagnetic waves in real-time. Regarded as a key enabling technology for implementing smart wireless propagation environments, PMs/RISs also serve as an ideal supporting platform for integrated sensing and communication (ISAC). Here, we propose two ISAC schemes based on a special type of PMs/RISs: space-time-coding metasurfaces (STCMs). By leveraging space-time-coding strategies, STCMs simultaneously control the propagation at the fundamental (carrier) frequency for reliable wireless communication and generate spatially distributed harmonics for sensing. The proposed schemes seamlessly integrate both communication and sensing on a shared hardware platform, eliminating the need for additional sensors. For experimental validation, we implemented an ISAC system using a 2-bit STCM operating at microwave frequencies. Experimental results align with theoretical predictions, confirming the practical viability and effectiveness of the proposed ISAC schemes for applications in communication, imaging, radar, and sensing systems.
Source: Nature Communications
Language: English
Subfield: Aerospace Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $6,990
Funders: European Commission, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, National Natural Science Foundation of China, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, Government of Jiangsu Province, Higher Education Discipline Innovation Project, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme, Jiangsu Planned Projects for Postdoctoral Research Funds, National Postdoctoral Program for Innovative Talents, National Key Research and Development Program of China, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, CHIST-ERA
Awards: G113272279, G1190173965, G1266183731, G1463304763, G1474490597, G1617124451, G1738609819, G2022097970, Joint Sensing and Communications for Future Interactive, Immersive, and Intelligent Connectivity Beyond Communications, G221738148, Beyond 5G mmWave Circuits, Antennas and RIS, G2319832868, G2394950313, G251144448, G2559059231, G271482306, G2883874734, G2918673418, G2987309065, G3075304213, G3191554489, Physics-based wireless AI providing scalability and efficiency, G3472939168, G4085363274, G4384862669, G4430877405, G4576488617, G4771444529, G4828738037, G5690514032, G5836027441, G6195631530, G6268261301, G6282309668, G6494355517, G6683820337, G669990738, G6711389198, G7080048889, G7205771190, G761721905, G7714443300, G7760568674, G7772250530, G7847668380, G7906052687, G8413177403, G8653674539, G8853341699, G8921317170, G95620444
OpenAlex ID: W4407843666