Holographic Metasurface Based Modulation for Energy Efficient LEO Satellite Communication

Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) have emerged as a key enabler for extending global connectivity, particularly in remote or infrastructure-limited regions. Given the stringent power constraints in satellite systems, especially in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, energy efficiency becomes a critical design requirement. In this paper, we propose a novel design for energy-efficient holographic metasurface-based modulation and beamforming for LEO satellite communication. Our approach employs a single radio frequency (RF) chain, significantly reducing power consumption compared to the conventional MIMO scheme while maintaining communication performance. To address the Lorentzian constraints inherent in holographic metasurfaces due to their magnetic polarizability, we introduce a beamforming strategy that effectively mitigates the impact of these physical limitations. Simulation results show that our proposed system achieves significant energy efficiency improvements over conventional fully digital and existing holographic beamforming architectures, with only a small trade-off in achievable data rate.