Use of a Realistic Ray-Based Model for the Evaluation of Indoor RF Coverage Solutions Using Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces

A previously developed Huygens-based, “antenna-array-like” macroscopic model for scattering from metasurfaces is embedded into a ray-tracing tool and used to carry out realistic RF-coverage evaluations in indoor environment. Using the reciprocity of the link, we extend prediction to multiple-bounce paths that include metasurface scattering at the beginning or at the end of the interaction chain. The proposed model allows us to carry out coverage evaluations for any realistic RIS design by modifying a few simple parameters. In this work, reference environments such as T–shaped and L–shaped corridor cases are considered with different deployment solutions of anomalous and focusing reflectors. The results show that a gain of about 15–20 dB can be obtained in blind-spot locations with proper RIS placement and configuration, without the use of any additional active radio head, even when using simple designs such as pre-configured lossy phase-gradient metasurfaces

Semanticizing syntactic patterns in NLP processing using SPARQL-DL queries

Some recent works on natural language semantic parsing make use of syntax and semantics together using different combination models. In our work we attempt to use SPARQL-DL as an interface between syntactic information given by the Stanford statistical parser (namely part-of-speech tagged text and typed dependency representation) and semantic information obtained from the FrameNet database. We use SPARQL-DL queries to check the presence of syntactic patterns within a sentence and identify their role as frame elements. The choice of SPARQL-DL is due to its usage as a common reference language for semantic applications and its high expressivity, which let rules to be generalized exploiting the inference capabilities of the underlying reasoner

Infrared study of the charge-ordered multiferroic LuFe(2)O(4)

The reflectivity of a large LuFe(2)O(4) single crystal has been measured with the radiation field either perpendicular or parallel to the c axis of its rhombohedral structure, from 10 to 500K, and from 7 to 16000 cm-1. The transition between the two-dimensional and the three-dimensional charge order at T_(CO) = 320 K is found to change dramatically the phonon spectrum in both polarizations. The number of the observed modes above and below T_(CO), according to a factor-group analysis, is in good agreement with a transition from the rhombohedral space group R{bar 3}m to the monoclinic C2/m. In the sub-THz region a peak becomes evident at low temperature, whose origin is discussed in relation with previous experiments.Comment: Physical Review B in pres

Interleaved-MIMO DAS for Indoor Radio Coverage: Guidelines for Planning

The combination of distributed antenna systems (DAS) and multiple input multiple output (MIMO) schemes opens the way to a variety of coverage solutions for indoor environment. In this paperinterleaved-MIMO (i-MIMO) DASindoor coverage extension strategies are studied. Their performance in high-order MIMO cases is investigated in realistic conditions through LTE-A link-level simulations, based on statistical data extracted from radio channel measurements; the impact of the deployment strategy on performance is then evaluated and useful planning guidelines are derived to determine the optimum deployment for a given propagation environment

A Reciprocal Heuristic Model for Diffuse Scattering from Walls and Surfaces

Diffuse scattering of electromagnetic waves from natural and artificial surfaces has been extensively studied in various disciplines, including radio wave propagation, and several diffuse scattering models based on different approaches have been proposed over the years, two of the most popular ones being Kirchhoff Theory and the so-called Effective Roughness heuristic model. The latter, although less rigorous than the former, is more flexible and applicable to a wider range of real-world cases, including non-Gaussian surfaces, surfaces with electrically small correlation lengths and scattering from material inhomogeneities that are often present under the surface. Unfortunately, the Effective Roughness model, with the exception of its Lambertian version, does not satisfy reciprocity, which is an important physical-soundness requirement for any propagation model. In the present work, without compromising its effectiveness and its simple and yet sound power-balance approach, we propose a reciprocal version of the Effective Roughness model, which can be easily implemented and replaced to the old version in ray-based propagation models. The new model is analyzed and compared to the old one and to other popular models. Once properly calibrated, it is shown to yield similar - if not better - performance with respect to the old one when checked vs. measurements

A Multi-Frequency Investigation of Air-To-Ground Urban Propagation Using a GPU-based Ray Launching Algorithm

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), also known as “drones”, are attracting increasing attention as enablers for many technical applications and services, and this trend is likely to continue in the next future. When compared to conventional terrestrial communications, those making use of UAVs as base- or relay-stations can definitely be more useful and flexible in reaction to specific events, like natural disasters and terrorist attacks. Among the many and different fields, UAV enabled communications emerge as one of the most promising solutions for next-generation mobile networks, with a special focus on the extension of coverage and capacity of mobile radio networks. Motivated by the air-to-ground (A2G) propagation conditions which are likely to be different than those experienced by traditional ground communication systems, this paper aims at investigating the narrowband properties of the air-to-ground channel for 5G communications and beyond by means of GPU accelerated ray launching simulations. Line of sight probability as well as path loss exponent and shadowing standard deviations are analysed for different UAV flight levels, frequencies and dense urban scenarios, and for different types of on board antennas. Thanks to the flexibility of the ray approach, the role played by the different electromagnetic interactions, namely reflection, diffraction and diffuse scattering, in the air-to-ground propagation process is also investigated. Computation time is reported as well to show that designing UAV communication networks and optimising their performances in a fast and reliable manner, might avoid exhausting – multiple - measurement campaigns

Infrared and transport properties of LuFe2O4 under electric fields

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Item level characterization of mm-wave indoor propagation

According to the current prospect of allocating next generation wireless systems in the underutilized millimeter frequency bands, a thorough characterization of mm-wave propagation represents a pressing necessity. In this work, an “item level” characterization of radiowave propagation at 70 GHz is carried out. The scattering properties of several, different objects commonly present in indoor environment are investigated by means of measurements carried out in an anechoic chamber. The measured data have been also exploited to tune some parameters of a 3D ray tracing model

A Method for the Electromagnetic Characterization of Construction Materials Based on Fabry–Pérot Resonance

The determination of the complex permittivity of low-loss construction materials at frequency bands above 6 GHz that are being proposed to allocate forthcoming mobile radio services is of critical importance for the design and deployment of future wireless systems. In this paper, a simple free-space method for the electromagnetic characterization of construction materials that does not require multiple reflection or transmission coefficient measurements for different incidence angles or complex optimization procedures is proposed and tested. The method is shown to yield permittivity and conductivity values in agreement with the literature for some common-use materials using a relatively simple measurement setup and procedure