Time-varying metamaterials and metasurfaces for antennas and propagation applications

Abstract

In this contribution we present the most recent results from our group about the opportunities offered by time-varying metamaterials and metasurfaces for conceiving antenna systems and devices exhibiting artificial non-reciprocity, frequency conversion, energy accumulation and temporal electromagnetic scattering. Such artificial metastructures are characterized by constitutive parameters (permittivity, permeability and/or surface impedance) that are modulated in time through an external control or requires modulated excitation signal for enabling anomalous scattering behaviour. Here, we briefly describe the physical insights of the unusual interaction arising between the electromagnetic field and such metamaterials and metasurfaces, and then we present some antennas and propagation applications, showing the performances of non-reciprocal antenna systems, magnet-less isolators, Doppler cloaks, temporal devices and metasurface-based virtual absorbers.