Single-antenna super-resolution positioning with nonseparable toroidal pulses

• Main Authors: Wang, Ren, Bao, Pan-Yi, Feng, Xiaoyu, Wu, Junpu, Wang, Bing-Zhong, Shen, Yijie
• Other Authors: School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2025
• Subjects: Engineering; Electromagnetics; Free spaces
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/182063
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The fundamental principle of satellite/node-based positioning involves triangulating the receiver’s coordinates through the intersection of spatial distances. Advancements in hybrid wireless networks have yielded high-precision positioning at decimeter-level (wavelength-level), approaching the resolution limits in free space. Here we present a 3D super-resolution positioning paradigm in free space by utilizing a kind of topologically structured pulses, toroidal electromagnetic pulses. We demonstrate that the space-time nonseparability and skyrmion topology inherent in toroidal pulses can be harnessed to achieve freespace microwave 3D positioning with super-resolution accuracy, reaching the centimeter level, using a single emitting antenna. This work opens up avenues for exploring the potential applications of topological electromagnetic pulses including but not limited to positioning, imaging and sensing technologies.