Microwaves and mm-waves for the Design of Advanced Wireless Links: Communication, Sensing and Power Transfer

About

The third edition of the Summer School “Microwaves and mm-waves for the Design of Advanced Wireless Links: Communication, Sensing and Power Transfer” aims to provide participants with a solid understanding of the fundamental principles and design strategies of modern wireless systems operating in the microwave and millimeter-wave frequency bands. It is co-coordinated by Prof. Paolo Nepa (Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa) and Prof. Pietro Bolli, (Technology Director at the INAF Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory, Florence).
Through 48 hours of lectures, the program offers a comprehensive introduction to electromagnetics (EM) and its application to the design of communication systems, radar and sensing technologies, wireless networks, and high-frequency circuits. The School awards 6 ECTS credits and is offered both in person at the Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa (Via G. Caruso, 16, Pisa, Italy), and online via Microsoft Teams.

The first part of the program introduces the key electromagnetic phenomena and their implications for devices and systems, including wave propagation, guiding structures, passive components, antennas, and transceivers. Experimental demonstrations and the use of commercial EM simulation tools will complement the theoretical sessions.

The second part focuses on the practical application of EM concepts to advanced technologies such as 5G and beyond, non-terrestrial and satellite networks, wireless power transfer, automotive V2X communications, and microwave systems for aerospace, defense, and radioastronomy.

Lectures will be delivered by experts from the University of Pisa, the University of Bologna, leading ICT industries, and research centers, ensuring a balanced academic and professional perspective.

A special session will take place on June 17 at the Radio Astronomical Station in Medicina, Bologna (managed by INAF – Italian National Institute for Astrophysics), including lectures, a guided tour of the Northern Cross and 32-meter dish antennas, and a class-building lunch. The bus transfer for the round trip to Medicina will be provided by the Summer School organizers.

All participants will receive a Certificate of Attendance. Students wishing to earn 6 ECTS credits must complete a project work agreed upon with the coordinators and submit a final report by August 30, 2026 (pdf submission to paolo.nepa@unipi.it). The corresponding grades and transcript of records will be issued through the University of Pisa. Credits can be transferred to the participant’s home institution according to local regulations.

School Syllabus

Part I: Basic remarks on EM phenomena and devices

- Free-space propagation, ray-based propagation models
- Wave propagation through dielectric media, multipath models
- Wave propagation in guiding structures, printed lines
- Passive devices for advanced wireless systems: characterization and design criteria
- Antennas and transceivers for high-frequency wireless links
- Modeling and design examples
- EM solvers for the analysis and design of devices and antennas
- Instrumentation for the characterization of wireless network devices

Part II: Microwaves and mm-waves for advanced wireless links

- Non-terrestrial communication networks
- The evolution of terrestrial communication networks toward the fifth generation (5G)
- Wireless sensing and communications in automotive V2X scenarios
- Devices and architectures of systems for wireless power transfer and energy harvesting
- Radio telescopes to capture radio waves from astronomical radio sources in the sky
- Microwaves systems for satellite broadband networks, aerospace and defense

The Summer School will be activated with at least 10 students. The maximum number of participants is set to 50 students.

Lessons will be held in Pisa, at the Department of Information Engineering, in Via G. Caruso, 16, Pisa.

The program will be activated also in distance learning mode (TEAMS platform)

Course leader

Prof. Paolo Nepa

Target group

PhD students, postgraduate students, undergraduate students who are close to getting their degree, practitioners and industry employees, who are involved in any Information and Communication Technology (ICT) fields and, more generally, in STEM disciplines

Course aim

The third edition of the Summer School “Microwaves and mm-waves for the design of advanced wireless links: communication, sensing and power transfer” aims to introduce the attendees to the building blocks for understanding the basic principles, the implementation strategies and the design criteria of the most common wireless systems operating in the microwaves and mm-waves frequency bands. An overview of the fundamental EM phenomena will be provided and exploited to describe the most important high-frequency devices of the wireless system physical layer.

The Summer School will support the gain of skills useful to control the wave propagation and shape the EM fields, thus helping the attendees to face the challenging and ever-evolving requirements of advanced wireless systems.

The Summer School can be of interest for students (Master’s and PhD students, graduating undergraduates), practitioners and industry employees, who are involved in any Information and Communication Technology (ICT) fields and aim to exploit the EM phenomena to shape future communication systems, radars, wireless sensing systems, wireless networks and high-frequency circuits.

Lecture contents do not require a solid background in electromagnetics, yet experimental measurements and commercial simulation tools will be used to validate EM basic concepts, as an effective alternative to conventional approaches based only on strict analytical derivations

Fee info