. 24/7 Space News .
TECH SPACE
Flat-panel technology could transform antennas, wireless and cell phone communications
by Staff Writers
Los Alamos NM (SPX) Mar 24, 2020

What goes in is not what comes out with a spatio-temporally modulated metasurface reflector.

Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory are reinventing the mirror, at least for microwaves, potentially replacing the familiar 3-D dishes and microwave horns we see on rooftops and cell towers with flat panels that are compact, versatile, and better adapted for modern communication technologies.

"Our new reflectors offer lightweight, low-profile alternatives to conventional antennas. This is a potential boon for satellites, where minimizing weight and size is crucial," said Abul Azad, of the MPA-CINT group at Los Alamos National Laboratory. "The panels could be easily incorporated onto surfaces of buildings or terrestrial vehicles as well."

Most reflectors are reciprocal: in the case of a bathroom mirror, for example, if you can see someone reflected in it, they can see you too. The new reflector design breaks reciprocity, effectively turning it into a one-way mirror.

The flat-panel reflector can be controlled electronically, which means its characteristics can be reconfigured on the fly. This opens the window for beam steering, customized focusing, and other functions that are difficult to achieve with conventional antenna designs.

Miniaturized versions could improve chip-based circuitry by ensuring that signals go only to the intended components and don't lead to inadvertent signals in other parts of the circuit, a problem that chip designers often have to worry about.

The reflectors are composed of an array of finely structured electronic components on a planar surface. Applying signals to the components allows the 2-D reflector to perform much like a 3-D antenna, and in some cases do things no conventional antenna could do. This sort of a device is known as a "metasurface" because its characteristics can be electronically changed to act in different ways without modifying the physical shape of the surface.

By applying electrical signals to the reflector components, the researchers managed to modulate the metasurface to control the direction and frequency of reflected light. The nonreciprocal response of the reflector can help prevent antennas from picking up echoes from their outgoing broadcasts and protect delicate circuitry from powerful, potentially damaging incoming signals.

"We have demonstrated the first dynamic metasurface capable of achieving extreme non-reciprocity by converting microwaves into plasmons, which are electric charge waves on the reflector's surface," said Diego Dalvit, of the T-4 group at Los Alamos. "This is key to controlling the way the reflectors function."

The new Los Alamos reflector platform opens exciting opportunities in various applications, including adaptive optics that can account for distortions that disrupt signals, one-way wireless transmission, and novel antenna designs.

Research Report: "Surface-Wave-Assisted Nonreciprocity in Spatio-Temporally Modulated Metasurfaces"


Related Links
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Space Technology News - Applications and Research


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


TECH SPACE
L3Harris Technologies introduces new reflector antenna tailored for smallsat missions
Washington DC (SPX) Mar 17, 2020
L3Harris Technologies has introduced a new small satellite reflector antenna that will help decrease the size, weight and overall time to produce smallsats. Lighter and more compact than legacy designs, the new Smallsat Perimeter Truss (SPT) leverages L3Harris' advanced Perimeter Truss design, while optimizing its mass to make the unit lighter and smaller to package onto small satellites. Offered in diameters up to four meters, and specifically designed for use on smallsat platforms, the Ka- ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

TECH SPACE
Insects, seaweed and lab-grown meat could be the foods of the future

NASA leadership assessing mission impacts of coronavirus

How Space Station research is helping NASA's plans to explore the Moon and Beyond

Mission Control adjusts to coronavirus conditions

TECH SPACE
NASA, SpaceX plan return to human spaceflight from U.S. soil in mid-May

NASA suspends work on Moon rocket due to virus

SpaceX plans first manned flight to space station in May

China develops new system to quickly find fallen rocket debris

TECH SPACE
NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover Gets Its Sample Handling System

Waves in thin Martian air with wide effects

ExoMars to take off for the Red Planet in 2022

Europe-Russia delay mission to find life on Mars

TECH SPACE
China's Long March-7A carrier rocket fails in maiden flight

China's Yuanwang-5 sails to Pacific Ocean for space monitoring mission

Construction of China's space station begins with start of LM-5B launch campaign

China Prepares to Launch Unknown Satellite Aboard Long March 7A Rocket

TECH SPACE
GMV's space business grows by 30 percent

SpaceX launches Starlink mission from Florida

NewSpace Book on 10 Years of Commercial Space and Children's Book on Space Released

Coronavirus and ESA's duty of care

TECH SPACE
Print sprint: Bosnians 3D print face-shields to combat coroanvirus

Creating custom light using 2D materials

Raytheon awarded $17 million for dual band radar spares for USS Ford

Time-resolved measurement in a memory device

TECH SPACE
Salmon parasite is world's first non-oxygen breathing animal

Snapping A Space Shot

The Strange Orbits of 'Tatooine' Planetary Disks

Observed: An exoplanet where it rains iron

TECH SPACE
Jupiter's Great Red Spot shrinking in size, not thickness

Researchers find new minor planets beyond Neptune

Ultraviolet instrument delivered for ESA's Jupiter mission

One Step Closer to the Edge of the Solar System









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.