Broadband Simultaneous Beam Steering and Compressing Device Based on Subwavelength Protrusion Metallic Tunnels

Abstract: Beam steering and beamwidth compressing play a role in steering the beam and narrowing its half-power beamwidth, respectively, which are both widely applied in extending the effective operational range of 6G communications, IoT devices, and antenna systems. However, research on wave manipulation devices capable of simultaneously achieving both functionalities remains limited, despite their great potential for system miniaturization and functional integration. In this study, we design and realize a broadband device capable of simultaneously steering and compressing the TM-polarized EM waves using subwavelength protrusion metallic tunnels. The underlying physical mechanisms are quantitatively explained through wave optics and optical surface transformation, indicating the size ratio between the incident and output surface governs both the steering angle and the compression ratio. Numerical simulations demonstrate its outstanding performance, achieving a maximum steering angle of 40{\deg} and a compression ratio of 0.4 across 3 to 12 GHz, with averaged energy transmittance above 80%. The experiments further validate its effectiveness by measuring the magnetic field distributions of the output beam at various frequencies. The excellent beam steering and compressing effects make the proposed device highly promising for next-generation multifunctional wave manipulation in advanced communication systems.