An Overview on Over-the-air Electromagnetic Signal Processing

TL;DR

This paper reviews over-the-air electromagnetic signal processing techniques for 6G wireless networks, emphasizing their potential to improve efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and enable innovative antenna and metamaterial applications.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive tutorial on integrating electromagnetism with signal processing, highlighting new wave-based processing methods for next-generation wireless systems.

Findings

Wave-based processing reduces energy consumption.

Metamaterials enable advanced EM field manipulation.

Applications include holographic MIMO systems.

Abstract

This article provides a tutorial on over-the-air electromagnetic signal processing (ESP) for next-generation wireless networks, addressing the limitations of digital processing to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of future 6th Generation (6G) systems. It explores the integration of electromagnetism and signal processing (SP) under a unified framework by highlighting how their convergence can drive innovations for 6G technologies. Key topics include electromagnetic (EM) wave-based processing, the application of metamaterials and advanced antennas to optimize EM field manipulation with a reduced number of radiofrequency chains, and their applications in holographic multiple-input multiple-output systems. By showcasing enabling technologies and use cases, the article illustrates how wave-based processing can minimize energy consumption, complexity, and latency, offering an effective framework for more sustainable and efficient wireless systems. This article aims to assist researchers and professionals in integrating advanced EM technologies with conventional SP methods.