Plasma-Based Intelligent Reflecting Surface for Beam-Steering and Polarization Conversion

The design of a reflective surface operated in the GHz range is proposed to enable beam-steering and polarization conversion simultaneously. The concept presented in this work relies on plasma-based Intelligent Reflecting Surfaces (IRS) in which the plasma is magnetized. Plasma-based IRSs have been introduced recently and consist of rectangular plasma discharges placed on top of a metallic ground plane. The reflected signal can be reconfigured electronically by varying the plasma parameters (e.g., density). First, a theoretical model is exploited to evaluate the capability of a plasma-based IRS to implement beam-steering and polarization conversion simultaneously. Second, the preliminary design of two plasma-based IRSs is presented to combine beam-steering with 1) cross-polarization or 2) linear-to-circular polarization conversion. According to the numerical results, the proposed concepts are feasible assuming the plasma density can be reconfigured in the range 4.9 x 10(17)-13.7 x 10(17) m(-3) and the intensity of the magnetostatic field in the range 60-183 mT; these values are consistent with the plasma technology at the state-of-the-art. The operation frequency is 10 GHz, and the bandwidth is between 0.5-0.8 GHz for the two plasma-based IRSs presented in this work.

Automated summary

This study proposes a design for a reflective surface that operates in the GHz range and enables beam-steering and polarization conversion simultaneously. The concept utilizes plasma-based Intelligent Reflecting Surfaces (IRS) with magnetized plasma. Numerical results indicate that the proposed concepts are feasible within the specified range of plasma density and magnetostatic field intensity. The operation frequency is 10 GHz, and the bandwidth is between 0.5-0.8 GHz for the two plasma-based IRSs presented in this work.