Programmable wave-based analog computing machine: a metastructure that designs metastructures

Abstract

The ability to perform mathematical computations using metastructures is an emergent paradigm that carries the potential of wave-based analog computing to the realm of near-speed-of-light, low-loss, compact devices. We theoretically introduce and experimentally verify the concept of a reconfigurable metastructure that performs analog complex mathematical computations using electromagnetic waves. Reconfigurable, RF-based components endow our device with the ability to perform stationary and non-stationary iterative algorithms. After demonstrating matrix inversion (stationary problem), we use the machine to tackle two major non-stationary problems: root finding with Newton's method and inverse design (constrained optimization) via the Lagrange multiplier method. The platform enables possible avenues for wave-based, analog computations for general linear algebraic problems and beyond in compact, ultrafast, and parallelized ways.