Single Antenna Terahertz Sensing using Preconfigured Metasurfaces

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel method for angular estimation in single-antenna terahertz radar systems using preconfigured metasurfaces and sparse reconstruction, enabling accurate multi-target localization.

Contribution

It proposes a new angular estimation technique that leverages metasurface-induced interference patterns and beam squint effects for single-antenna THz radar.

Findings

Enables fast and accurate multi-target localization.

Utilizes interference patterns created by metasurfaces.

Employs sparse reconstruction techniques for angular estimation.

Abstract

The development of mobile terahertz (THz) sensing and localization with minimal infrastructure has garnered significant attention due to its substantial practical implications. Single-antenna radar systems are a favored choice for mobile platforms, as they offer notable advantages in terms of cost, weight, and simplicity. However, these systems face a critical limitation: the inability to extract angular information using a single antenna, which consequently prevents the achievement of complete localization. This paper proposes an angular estimation method for a single-antenna radar augmented with a pair of preconfigured metasurfaces. The metasurface pair is used for creating an interference pattern in the scene, which depends on the target angles and operating frequency. Moreover, the beam squint effects caused by the wide frequency range in the THz band provides suitable conditions for using sparse reconstruction techniques to obtain angular estimates. We utilize these properties to perform angular estimation with a single antenna. The simulation results show that with this method it is possible to perform fast and accurate multi-target estimation for a broad operating range.