WSK: Taming Multi-Beam Arrays: Emerging Architectures, Algorithms, and Applications

Presentation Abstract
Scaled antenna arrays that support multiple simultaneous beams can enable significant throughput improvements and new capabilities for both communications and sensing applications. These benefits provide the form-factor and spectral efficiencies required for next generation wireless systems. However, beam scaling also scales up traditional design challenges and creates new implementation hurdles. For example, handling the signal distribution and processing for hundreds of antennas and tens of beams quickly results in stages that are power and thermally infeasible. Innovations in multi-beam array architectures are indispensable to overcoming these challenges for emerging satellite communications, radar, and 6G applications. To succeed in real-world deployments these innovations must be developed with resilience, cost-effectiveness, and hardware scalability considerations in mind. This workshop explores specifically multi-beam topics with an array of experts presenting their work on re-imagining how to architect and build point-to-multi-point arrays at scale. Approaches for beam-scaling in frequency, space, and time will be explored and hardware implementations that range from RF-centric to mostly digital will be covered. The goal is to provide attendees with an in-depth overview of this emerging area of antenna array design, and cast light on trade-offs and future directions.