Electromagnetic metasurfaces (MTSs), defined as electrically thin and dense two-dimensional arrays of structural elements supporting electric or/and magnetic response, have proven their capability to achieve an unprecedented control over the transmitted and reflected fields. In the last years, there has been a strong interest in the investigation of the possibilities offered by MTSs in the design of innovative antenna systems. In this framework, MTSs have been recently proposed as a powerful platform to implement functional covers and superstrates able to improve the performance of existing antennas and/or provide novel and integrated functionalities. In particular, purely-electric MTSs can be used to massively reduce the scattering signature of linear antennas, to overcome mutual blockage effects and coupling between close radiators, or to change their resonance frequency. Similarly, magneto-electric MTSs may be used to tailor the radiation diagram of dipole antennas, transforming the original omnidirectional radiation diagram into a single- or multi-beam pattern. The addition of electronic circuits within the metasurface unit cell, such as PIN diodes, varactors, or more complex LC circuits, enables achieving power- and waveform-selective features, which can be exploited in a wide range of practical scenarios, including telecommunication, passive radar, sensing, and space communication. Finally, the use of an external biasing network lays the foundation for introducing dynamic reconfiguration and cognitive features in modern antenna systems.
In this talk, I will show how MTSs allow conceiving and implementing a new generation of intelligent and cognitive antennas “feeling” the environment and adjusting their operation accordingly. Particular emphasis is placed on the physical interpretations of the effects arising from the interaction of antenna systems with metasurfaces, as well as on the definition of effective design schemes for the different applications. It is shown how such MTS-based smart antennas, also referred to as smart antennas 2.0, are promising candidates for beyond-5G systems, where the use of mm-waves introduces significant challenges due to their strong sensitivity to the environment.
About the Speaker:
ALESSIO MONTI (S’12–M’15–SM’19) was born in Rome, Italy. He received the B.S. degree in electronic engineering (summa cum laude), the M.S. degree in telecommunications engineering (summa cum laude) and the Ph.D degree in biomedical Electronics, electromagnetics, and telecommunications engineering from ROMA TRE University, Rome, Italy, in 2008, 2010, and 2015, respectively. He was with Niccolò Cusano University in Rome, Italy, where he served as both an Assistant and Associate Professor until 2021. Since November 2021, he has been with ROMA TRE University, where he holds the position of Associate Professor in Electromagnetic Field Theory within the Department of Industrial, Electronic, and Mechanical Engineering.
His research interests include varied theoretical and application-oriented aspects of metamaterials and metasurfaces at microwave and optical frequencies, the design of functionalized covers and invisibility devices for antennas and antenna arrays, and the electromagnetic modeling of micro- and nano-structured artificial surfaces. His research activities resulted in 130+ papers published in international journals, conference proceedings, and book chapters. Prof. Monti has also been involved as leader or senior researcher in the activities of 30+ research projects funded either by national and international bodies or by private companies. Among them, he is currently the PI of the Horizon Europe project “PULSE” focused on reconfigurable plasma metasurfaces (EIC Pathfinder Open project number 10109931) and the co-PI of the project “METAAP” focused on the use of metasurfaces for industrial applications (PRIN 2022 project number 2022ZZ8APA).
Prof. Monti has been serving the scientific community by playing important roles in the editorial board of international journals and in the organization of scientific events. In particular, Prof. Monti is Senior Editor of the journal IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation since 2024, after having served as Associate Editor from 2018 to 2023. He is also a member of the secretarial office of the International Association METAMORPHOSE VI and of the Editorial Board of the journal EPJ Applied Metamaterials (2016-now). In 2019, he was appointed as General Chair of the International Congress on Artificial Materials for Novel Wave Phenomena – Metamaterials, and he has been serving as Chair of the Steering Committee of the same Congress series since 2017. He has also been a member of the Technical Program Committee (TPC) and Track Chair of the IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation (2016-2024) and of the International Congress on Advanced Electromagnetic Materials in Microwaves and Optics – Metamaterials (2014-2016) and has been guest editor of five journal special issues focused on metamaterials and nanophotonics. He has also been serving as a Technical Reviewer of many high-level international journals related to electromagnetic field theory, metamaterials, and nanophotonics and has been selected as Top Reviewer by the Editorial Board of the IEEE Transactions on Antennas & Propagation from 2014 to 2019. Prof. Monti has been the recipient of several national and international awards and recognitions, including the URSI (2024) and IEEE (2019) Senior Grade, the URSI Young Scientist Award (2019), the Outstanding Associate Editor Award of the IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation (for five consecutive years, from 2019 to 2023), the Finmeccanica Group Innovation Award for young people (2015), the 2nd place award at the student paper competition of the Metamaterials’ conference (2012), and selection as a finalist of the student paper competition of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Symposium (2012).
Affiliation: Università di Roma TRE
Contact Person: Prof. Giacomo OLIVERI <giacomo.oliveri@unitn.it>