Space-Time Metasurfaces for Power Combining of Waves

In passive, linear, and monochromatic systems, complete and phase-insensitive combining of powers carried by waves from several input channels into a single output channel is forbidden by the energy conservation law. Here, we demonstrate that the complete combination of both coherent and incoherent plane waves can be achieved using metasurfaces with properties varying in space and time. The proposed structure reflects waves of the same frequency but incident at different angles toward a single direction. The frequencies of the output waves are shifted by the metasurface, ensuring perfect incoherent power combining. The proposed concept of power combining is general and can be applied for electromagnetic waves from the microwave to optical domains, as well as for waves of other physical natures.