# Time-modulated circuits and metasurfaces for emulating arbitrary transfer functions

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel method using time-modulated circuits and metasurfaces to emulate arbitrary electromagnetic transfer functions, enabling dynamic control and the creation of systems with unconventional properties like non-Foster responses.

## Contribution

The authors propose a new approach employing time-varying components to emulate arbitrary transfer functions, including negative and nonlinear responses, with demonstrated stability considerations and practical applications.

## Key findings

- Successfully emulated static inductance, capacitance, and resistance with arbitrary values.
- Designed and validated an invisible sensor with zero scattering.
- Simulated stable operation of time-modulated electromagnetic systems.

## Abstract

Temporal modulation unlocks possibilities to dynamically control and modify the response of electromagnetic systems. Employing explicit dependencies of circuit or surface parameters on time enables the engineering of systems with conventionally unachievable functionalities. Here, we propose a novel approach that enables the emulation of electromagnetic systems that can have arbitrary frequency dispersion and nonlinear properties, including the non-Foster response. In particular, we show that a proper modulation of a time-varying capacitor allows one to mimic a static inductance, capacitance, or resistance having arbitrary values, both positive and negative. We discuss necessary modifications of determined ideal modulation functions that ensure the stability of the system. To demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method, we introduce and simulate an invisible sensor, i.e., a device that does not produce any scattering and is capable of sensing. Three different geometries are proposed and validated using full-wave simulations. In addition to that, we discuss the stability of the systems that are modulated externally. We believe that this study introduces a new paradigm of using time modulations to engineer system responses that can be applied not only to electromagnetic systems (in electronics, microwaves, and optics) but also to other branches of physics.