Chen Xiao Qing, Zhang Lei, Zheng Yi Ning, Liu Shuo, Huang Zhuo Ran, Liang Jing Cheng, Di Renzo Marco, Galdi Vincenzo, Cui Tie Jun
Institute of Electromagnetic Space and State Key Laboratory of Millimeter Waves, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.
Laboratoire des Signaux et Systèmes, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, CentraleSupélec, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
Nat Commun. 2025 Feb 21;16(1):1836. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-57137-6.
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.
可编程超表面（PMs），也称为可重构智能表面（RISs），是能够实时动态操纵电磁波的平面结构。作为实现智能无线传播环境的关键 enabling 技术，PMs/RISs 还作为集成传感与通信（ISAC）的理想支撑平台。在此，我们基于一种特殊类型的 PMs/RISs——时空编码超表面（STCMs）提出了两种 ISAC 方案。通过利用时空编码策略，STCMs 同时控制基频（载波）的传播以实现可靠的无线通信，并生成用于传感的空间分布谐波。所提出的方案在共享硬件平台上无缝集成了通信和传感，无需额外的传感器。为进行实验验证，我们使用工作在微波频率的 2 比特 STCM 实现了一个 ISAC 系统。实验结果与理论预测相符，证实了所提出的 ISAC 方案在通信、成像、雷达和传感系统应用中的实际可行性和有效性。
