Optimal Multiplexing of Spatially Encoded Information across Custom-Tailored Configurations of a Metasurface-Tunable Chaotic Cavity

Abstract

Acquiring the information transmitted via $N$ channels with a single receiver is an important capability in electromagnetic imaging and sensing, for example, due to the cost associated with each receiver. A counterintuitive possibility consists of scrambling the $N$ pieces of information in multiple, distinct ways by letting $N$ waves propagate through a chaotic system in different configurations. Judiciously chosen configurations of a chaotic microwave cavity, reconfigurable via a tunable metasurface reflectarray, yield optimal information retrieval with a single port. This approach may also be translated to other wave phenomena, such as optical multiplexing in multimode fibers.

Topics & Concepts