Quantum mechanics

Engineering

Philosophy

Aerospace engineering

Pure mathematics

Field (mathematics)

Telecommunications

Computer science

Acoustics

Simple (philosophy)

Path loss

Physics

Scalar (mathematics)

Mathematics

Optics

Electromagnetic field

Epistemology

Electronic engineering

Path (computing)

Geometry

Programming language

Wireless

Diffraction

Fresnel diffraction

Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) are an emerging field of research in wireless communications.A fundamental component for analyzing and optimizing RIS-empowered wireless networks is the development of simple but sufficiently accurate models for the power scattered by an RIS.By leveraging the general scalar theory of diffraction and the Huygens-Fresnel principle, we introduce simple formulas for the electric field scattered by an RIS that is modeled as a sheet of electromagnetic material of negligible thickness.The proposed approach allows us to identify the conditions under which an RIS of finite size can or cannot be approximated as an anomalous mirror.Numerical results are illustrated to confirm the proposed approach.

Analytical Modeling of the Path-Loss for Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces – Anomalous Mirror or Scatterer ?