On the Feasibility of Time-Modulated Arrays for Digital Linear Modulations: A Theoretical Analysis

Wireless communications are widely based on linear digital modulation methods, which introduce the digital baseband information in the amplitude and/or in the phase of a carrier sinusoid. Time-modulated arrays, on the other hand, constitute an interesting technique capable of adapting the power radiation pattern of an antenna array. In this work, we study from a theoretical point of view the impact of time-modulated arrays on the transmission of linearly modulated digital communication signals. The work focuses on the requirements to safeguard the integrity of the signal and on the quantification of the useful power radiated within the desired band.