{"ID":2831950,"CreatedAt":"2026-06-01T04:54:23.091178241Z","UpdatedAt":"2026-06-01T04:54:23.091178241Z","DeletedAt":null,"paper_url":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.06693","arxiv_id":"2512.06693","title":"Multi-Functional Programmable Metasurfaces for 6G and Beyond","abstract":"The sixth-generation and beyond (B6G) networks are envisioned to support advanced applications that demand high-speed communication, high-precision sensing, and high-performance computing. To underpin this multi-functional evolution, energy- and cost-efficient programmable metasurfaces (PMs) have emerged as a promising technology for dynamically manipulating electromagnetic waves. This paper provides a comprehensive survey of representative multi-functional PM paradigms, with a specific focus on achieving \\emph{full-space communication coverage}, \\emph{ubiquitous sensing}, as well as \\emph{intelligent signal processing and computing}. i) For simultaneously transmitting and reflecting surfaces (STARS)-enabled full-space communications, we elaborate on their operational protocols and pivotal applications in supporting efficient communications, physical layer security, unmanned aerial vehicle networks, and wireless power transfer. ii) For PM-underpinned ubiquitous sensing, we formulate the signal models for the PM-assisted architecture and systematically characterize its advantages in near-field and cooperative sensing, while transitioning to the PM-enabled transceiver architecture and demonstrating its superior performance in multi-band operations. iii) For advanced signal processing and computing, we explore the novel paradigm of stacked intelligent metasurfaces (SIMs), investigating their implementation in wave-domain analog processing and over-the-air mathematical computing. Finally, we identify key research challenges and envision future directions for multi-functional PMs towards B6G.","short_abstract":"The sixth-generation and beyond (B6G) networks are envisioned to support advanced applications that demand high-speed communication, high-precision sensing, and high-performance computing. To underpin this multi-functional evolution, energy- and cost-efficient programmable metasurfaces (PMs) have emerged as a promising...","url_abs":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.06693","url_pdf":"https://arxiv.org/pdf/2512.06693v1","authors":"[\"Xu Gan\",\"Xidong Mu\",\"Yuanwei Liu\",\"Marco Di Renzo\",\"Josep Miquel Jornet\",\"Nuria González Prelcic\",\"Arman Shojaeifard\",\"Tie Jun Cui\"]","published":"2025-12-07T06:57:32Z","proceeding":"eess.SP","tasks":"[\"eess.SP\"]","methods":"[]","has_code":false}