Holographic leaky-wave antennas with independently controlled multiple counter-rotating vortex beams

Area of Science:

• Electromagnetics and antenna theory
• Metasurface applications
• Wavefront shaping

Background:

• Vortex beams offer unique properties for wireless communications and sensing.
• Generating multiple, independently controllable vortex beams remains a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a holographic leaky-wave antenna for synthesizing multiple counter-rotating vortex beams.
• To demonstrate independent control over beam orientation, orbital angular momentum (OAM), power, and polarization.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing modulated anisotropic metasurfaces for antenna design.
• Employing a generalized aperture field estimation method for anisotropic impedance surfaces.
• Experimental validation with a dual-polarized, dual-beam prototype.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis of multiple counter-rotating vortex beams with customizable petal numbers and power distributions.
• Independent control demonstrated for beam orientation, OAM modes, and polarization.
• Experimental prototype validated the proposed multi-beam configuration, radiating distinct beam types with independent spin and OAM states.

Conclusions:

• The proposed holographic leaky-wave antenna provides a systematic framework for generating complex multi-beam scenarios.
• Anisotropic metasurfaces enable precise control over individual beam characteristics, including polarization.
• This technology has potential applications in advanced wireless communication systems and sensing.