ABSTRACT
Micro-Doppler effect is a vital feature of a target that reflects its oscillatory motions apart from bulk motion and provides an important evidence for target recognition with radars. However, establishing the micro-Doppler database poses a great challenge, since plenty of experiments are required to get the micro-Doppler signatures of different targets for the purpose of analyses and interpretations with radars, which are dramatically limited by high cost and time-consuming. Aiming to overcome these limits, a low-cost and powerful simulation platform of the micro-Doppler effects is proposed based on time-domain digital coding metasurface (TDCM). Owing to the outstanding capabilities of TDCM in generating and manipulating nonlinear harmonics during wave-matter interactions, it enables to supply rich and high-precision electromagnetic signals with multiple micro-Doppler frequencies to describe the micro-motions of different objects, which are especially favored for the training of artificial intelligence algorithms in automatic target recognition and benefit a host of applications like imaging and biosensing.
ABSTRACT
Manipulations of multiple carrier frequencies are especially important in a variety of fields like radar detection and wireless communications. In conventional radio-frequency architecture, the multi-frequency control is implemented by microwave circuits, which are hard to integrate with antenna apertures, thus bringing the problems of expensive system and high power consumption. Previous studies demonstrate the possibility to jointly control the multiple harmonics using space-time-coding digital metasurface, but suffer from the drawback of inherent harmonic entanglement. To overcome the difficulties, we propose a multi-partition asynchronous space-time-coding digital metasurface (ASTCM) to generate and manipulate multiple frequencies with more flexibility. We further establish an ASTCM-based transmitter to realize wireless communications with frequency-division multiplexing, where the metasurface is responsible for carrier-wave generations and signal modulations. The direct multi-frequency controls with ASTCM provides a new avenue to simplify the traditional wireless systems with reduced costs and low power consumption.
ABSTRACT
In the past few years, wireless communications based on digital coding metasurfaces have gained research interest owing to their simplified architectures and low cost. However, in most of the metasurface-based wireless systems, a single-polarization scenario is used, limiting the channel capacities. To solve the problem, multiplexing methods have been adopted, but the system complexity is inevitably increased. Here, a space-frequency-polarization-division multiplexed wireless communication system is proposed using an anisotropic space-time-coding digital metasurface. By separately designing time-varying control voltage sequences for differently oriented varactor diodes integrated on the metasurface, we achieve frequency-polarization-division multiplexed modulations. By further introducing different time-delay gradients to the control voltage sequences in two polarization directions, we successfully obtain space-frequency-polarization-division multiplexed modulations to realize a wireless communication system with a new architecture. The new communication system is designed with compact dual-polarized meta-elements, and can improve channel capacity and space utilization. Experimental results demonstrate the high-performance and real-time transmission capability of the proposed communication system, confirming its potential application in multiple-user collaborative wireless communications.
ABSTRACT
The rapid development of space-time-coding metasurfaces (STCMs) offers a new avenue to manipulate spatial electromagnetic beams, waveforms, and frequency spectra simultaneously with high efficiency. To date, most studies are primarily focused on harmonic generations and independent controls of finite-order harmonics and their spatial waves, but the manipulations of continuously temporal waveforms that include much rich frequency spectral components are still limited in both theory and experiment based on STCM. Here, we propose a theoretical framework and method to generate frequency-modulated continuous waves (FMCWs) and control their spatial propagation behaviors simultaneously via a novel STCM with nonlinearly periodic phases. Since the carrier frequency of FMCW changes with time rapidly, we can produce customized time-varying reflection phases at will by the required FMCW under the illumination of a monochromatic wave. More importantly, the propagation directions of the time-varying beams can be controlled by encoding the metasurface with different initial phase gradients. A programmable STCM prototype with a full-phase range is designed and fabricated to realize reprogrammable FMCW functions, and experimental results show good agreement with the theoretical analyses.
ABSTRACT
Recent progress in space-time-coding digital metasurface (STCM) manifests itself a powerful tool to engineer the properties of electromagnetic (EM) waves in both space and time domains, and greatly expands its capabilities from the physical manipulation to information processing. However, the current studies on STCM are focused under the synchrony frame, namely, all meta-atoms follow the same variation frequency. Here, an asynchronous STCM is proposed, where the meta-atoms are modulated by different time-coding periods. In the proposed asynchronous STCM, the phase discontinuities on traditional metasurface are replaced with the frequency discontinuities. It is shown that dynamic wavefronts can be automatically realized for both fundamental and high-order harmonics by elaborately arranging the spatial distribution of meta-atoms with various time-coding periods. The physics insight is due to the accumulated rapidly changing phase difference with time, which offers an additional degree of freedom during the wave-matter interactions. As a proof-of-principle example, an asynchronous STCM for automatic spatial scanning and dynamic scattering control is investigated. From the theory, numerical simulations, and experiments, it can be found that the proposed STCM exhibits significant potentials for applications in radars and wireless communications.
ABSTRACT
We propose a theoretical mechanism and new coding strategy to realize extremely accurate manipulations of nonlinear electromagnetic harmonics in ultrawide frequency band based on a time-domain digital coding metasurface (TDCM). Using the proposed mechanism and coding strategy, we design and fabricate a millimeter-wave (mmWave) TDCM, which is composed of reprogrammable meta-atoms embedded with positive-intrinsic-negative diodes. By controlling the duty ratios and time delays of the digital coding sequences loaded on a TDCM, experimental results show that both amplitudes and phases of different harmonics can be engineered at will simultaneously and precisely in broad frequency band from 22 to 33 GHz, even when the coding states are imperfect, which is in good agreement with theoretical calculations. Based on the fabricated high-performance TDCM, we further propose and experimentally realize a large-capacity mmWave wireless communication system, where 256 quadrature amplitude modulation, along with other schemes, is demonstrated. The new wireless communication system has a much simpler architecture than the currently used mmWave wireless systems, and hence can significantly reduce the hardware cost. We believe that the proposed method and system architecture can find vast application in future mmWave and terahertz-wave wireless communication and radar systems.
ABSTRACT
Fabricating materials with customized characteristics for both electromagnetic (EM) and acoustic waves remain a significant challenge using the current technology, since the demand of multiphysical manipulation requires a variety of material parameters that are hard to satisfy in nature. However, the emergence of artificially structured materials provides a new degree of freedom to tailor the wave-matter interactions in dual physical domains at the subwavelength scale. Here, a bifunctional digital coding metamaterial (MM) is proposed to engineer the propagation behaviors of EM and acoustic waves simultaneously and independently. Four kinds of rigid pillars with various material properties are employed to serve as 1-bit reflection-type digital meta-atoms with antiphase responses in both frequency spectra, thus offering the opportunities for independent field control as desired. The MM demonstrates excellent performance of scattering manipulations from 5700 to 8000 Hz in the acoustic region and 5.80-6.15 GHz in the microwave region. The bifunctional MM is verified through full-wave simulations and experimental measurements with good agreement, which stands out as a powerful tool for related applications in the future.
ABSTRACT
Optical non-linear phenomena are typically observed in natural materials interacting with light at high intensities, and they benefit a diverse range of applications from communication to sensing. However, controlling harmonic conversion with high efficiency and flexibility remains a major issue in modern optical and radio-frequency systems. Here, we introduce a dynamic time-domain digital-coding metasurface that enables efficient manipulation of spectral harmonic distribution. By dynamically modulating the local phase of the surface reflectivity, we achieve accurate control of different harmonics in a highly programmable and dynamic fashion, enabling unusual responses, such as velocity illusion. As a relevant application, we propose and realize a novel architecture for wireless communication systems based on the time-domain digital-coding metasurface, which largely simplifies the architecture of modern communication systems, at the same time yielding excellent performance for real-time signal transmission. The presented work, from new concept to new system, opens new pathways in the application of metamaterials to practical technology.
ABSTRACT
We demonstrate that asymmetric acoustic wave transmission in a waveguide can be achieved via gradient index metamaterials (GIMs). We theoretically prove that the acoustic wave can be efficiently converted to surface waves (SWs) via GIMs. The GIMs in a waveguide can allow the transmission of acoustic waves in one direction but block them in the other direction. This theory is validated by experiments. Our findings may provide new applications in various scenarios such as high-efficiency acoustic couplers and noise control.
ABSTRACT
Objective To explore the effect of iodine excess on bone metabolism in experimental autoimmune thyroiditis (EAT) rats. Methods We selected 36 female Lewis rats with body weight of (131 ± 15)g,and divided them into 3 groups randomly: control group, EAT group and EAT + high iodine group, assuring 12 rats in every group. These rats were fed fodder with different concentration of iodine(0.9,0.9, 18.0 mg/kg), and rats in EAT group and EAT + high iodine group were immunized with pig thyroglobulin(pTG) and complete Freund's adjuvant(CFA) to create EAT model. After two weeks, the pathological changes of the thyroid tissues were observed,and the serum thyroid autoantibody[thyroglobulin antibody(TGAb) and thyroid microsomal antibody(TMAb)], the thyroid hormone levels[triiodo thyronine(T3) and thyrine(T4)] and some relevant data of bone metabolism[bone gla protein (BGP), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), C-terminal propeptide of type Ⅰ procollagen (PICP),C-terminal telopeptide of type Ⅰ collagen (ICTP), insulin-like growth factor- 1 ( IGF- 1 ), osteoprotegerin (OPG) and receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL)] were measured. Results Inflammatory cell infiltration and local follicular structural damage were observed in the thyroid tissues of EAT rats in EAT group and EAT + high iodine group, and the pathological changes of EAT + high iodine group were mainly thyroid follicular expansion and integration. The level of serum TGAb, TMAb, T3 and T4 of EAT rats in EAT group and EAT + high iodine group[ (63.01 ± 12.36)%, (60.62 ± 11.24)%, (3.78 ± 1.43), (125.12 ± 16.00)pmol/L and (75.00 ± 15.44)%,(72.15 ± 15.00)%, (3.69 ± 0.91 ), (149.40 ± 20.67)pmol/L] were higher than those of the control group[ (4.47 ±1.04)%, (5.73 ± 1.01 )%, (0.75 ± 0.12), (76.91 ± 9.30)pmol/L, all P ＜ 0.05], and the level of serum TGAb,TMAb and T4 of EAT rats in EAT + high iodine group were higher than those of the EAT group(all P ＜ 0.05).The level of serum BGP, PICP and IGF- 1 in EAT group[ ( 1.70 ± 0.31 ), ( 11.31 ± 1.52) μg/L, (0.31 ± 0.06 ) mg/L]were lower than those of the control group[ (8.60 ± 0.33), (14.28 ± 3.10)μg/L, (1.16 ± 0.02)mg/L, all P ＜0.05], and the level of serum TRAP, ICTP, OPG and RANKL[ ( 19.88 ± 3.60)ng/L, (2.43 ± 0.82), (22.36 ± 2.80),( 1.35 ± 0.23 )μg/L] were higher than those of the control group[ ( 14.57 ± 3.56)ng/L, (0.50 ± 0.20), (1.61 ± 0.34),(0.10 ± 0.02)μg/L, all P ＜ 0.05]; compared with EAT group, the level of PCIP and OPG in EAT + high iodine group [ (8.03 ± 1.84), ( 16.80 ± 3.79)μg/L] were obviously decreased(all P ＜ 0.05). Conclusions The reinforcement of differentiation and maturation of osteoblast in the EAT rats results in the increasing of bone resorption. The activity of osteoblast and osteoclast of the EAT rats are inhibited by excessive iodine, showing a low conversion-type osteoporosis.
