Meta-Structures for Wave Control in Complex Media

The META-INCOME project aims to innovate in the field of wave control within complex environments, such as disordered media, to enable new applications in areas like wireless communication, energy efficiency, and precise sensing. Traditional barriers, like walls, tend to scatter waves, leading to signal or information loss. In META-INCOME, we aim to overcome this by developing "meta-structures" materials or devices designed to direct and enhance wave behavior even in highly scattered environments. Our objectives include making obstacles transparent to specific signals, perfecting methods for wave absorption to optimize energy use, and improving wave information-carrying capacity. For instance, one application is designing surfaces that let Wi-Fi signals pass through disordered barriers like walls, potentially reducing the energy needed to maintain indoor connectivity. We also aim to develop "reconfigurable meta-structures" that dynamically adjust to environmental conditions, enhancing signal transmission as needed. Our research has broad implications, from sustainable indoor networks to new sensing technologies that could detect changes within complex materials, supporting fields like medical imaging and secure, efficient data transfer. The theoretical aspects of this project will be studied in the group of Stefan Rotter at TU Wien (Austria) and the experimental implementation will be carried out in the lab of Matthieu Davy at Rennes University (France).