Plasma-Based Intelligent Reflective Surfaces for Beam Steering Operations

Plasma-based Intelligent Reflective Surfaces (IRSs) have been recently proposed to control the environment between transmitting and receiving antennas. This work demonstrates the feasibility of a plasma-based IRS that enables beam-steering operations. First, a theoretical model has been developed to assess the use of plasma as a reflector for a generic angle between the incident wave and the broadside direction. Subsequently, a numerical design is proposed to align the main radiation lobe with the broadside direction, provided that the incidence angle is 20 deg. To this end, continuous control of the plasma density, and in turn of the reflection coefficient, is implemented.

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