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The principle of reciprocity for antennas allows one to take advantage of the duality between the broadcast and receive functions of an antenna, where the requirements are known sufficiently for one function to be accomplished. Since these can be viewed as dual functions to each other, knowing one is sufficient to determine how to do the other provided the antenna can be treated as a linear system. Philip Woodward did foundational research in the use of information theory to the design of radar receivers as well as determining a methodology for synthesizing an antenna pattern in the far field given one started with an antenna array in the near field. He also determined that using an information theory formulation how knowledge of the far field pattern that was broadcast is sufficient to determine the receiver characteristics needed to detect signal back at the receiver (Woodward's Synthesis Principle). The Aharonov Ansatz in scattering theory is based upon the principle any (sensor) measurement process. In principle, detector design can be "matched" to signal interaction or to the design of an apparatus or optimized so that there is a mathematical solution to the receiver design (in the classical sense). The Aharonov Ansatz applied to antenna theory, especially to antenna design, suggests a new paradigm is possible based on the desire to detect weak signals with an antenna or conceal or officiate using a broadcast signal. When combined with the potential to realize an antenna pattern based on metamaterials, it becomes possible to synthesize fairly arbitrary electromagnetic characteristics. This provides a radical approach to usage of waveform synthesis or waveform reception for antennas. In particular, we outline a methodology for both these functions for an analytical formulation of a metamaterial design.
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