Time-Modulated Circuits and Metasurfaces for Emulating Arbitrary Transfer Functions

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 an alternative 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 an alternative 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 in other branches of physics.