Simplified radar architecture based on information metasurface

Simplified radar architecture based on information metasurface | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Simplified radar architecture based on information metasurface Tie Jun Cui, Si Ran Wang, Zhan Ye Chen, Shao Nan Chen, Jun Yan Dai, and 8 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5221567/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 15 Jul, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Modern radar typically employs a chain architecture that consists of radio-frequency (RF) and intermediate frequency (IF) units, baseband digital signal processor, and information display. However, this architecture often results in high costs, significant hardware demands, and integration challenges. Here we propose a simplified radar architecture based on space-time-coding (STC) information metasurfaces. With their powerful capabilities to generate multiple harmonic frequencies and customize their phases, the STC metasurfaces play a key role in chirp signal generation, transmission, and echo reception. Remarkably, the receiving STC metasurface can implement dechirp processing directly on the RF level and realize the digital information outputs, which are beneficial to lower the hardware requirement at the receiving end while potentially shortening the time needed for conventional digital processing. As a proof of concept, the proposed metasurface radar is tested in a series of experiments for target detection and range/speed measurement, yielding results comparable to those obtained by conventional methods. This study provides valuable inspiration for a new radar system paradigm to combine the RF front ends and signal processors on the information metasurface platform that offers essential functionalities while significantly reducing the system complexity and cost. Physical sciences/Engineering/Electrical and electronic engineering Physical sciences/Optics and photonics/Optical materials and structures/Metamaterials Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SISimplifiedradararchitecturebasedoninformationmetasurface.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 15 Jul, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5221567","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":375527512,"identity":"f56a4aba-cae8-44c7-aa5f-8f0358834be4","order_by":0,"name":"Tie Jun 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