  This article considers the performance of wireless communication systems that
utilize reconfigurable or pattern-dynamic antennas. The focus is on
finite-state channels with memory and performance is assessed in terms of
real-time behavior. In a wireless setting, when a slow fading channel enters a
deep fade, the corresponding communication system faces the threat of
successive decoding failures at the destination. Under such circumstances,
rapidly getting out of deep fades becomes a priority. Recent advances in fast
reconfigurable antennas provide new means to alter the statistical profile of
fading channels and thereby reduce the probability of prolonged fades. Fast
reconfigurable antennas are therefore poised to improve overall performance,
especially for delay-sensitive traffic in slow-fading environments. This
potential for enhanced performance motivates this study of the temporal
behavior of point-to-point communication systems with reconfigurable antennas.
Specifically, agile wireless communication schemes over erasure channels are
analyzed; situations where using reconfigurable antennas yield substantial
performance gains in terms of throughput and average delay are identified.
Scenarios where only partial state information is available at the receiver are
also examined, naturally leading to partially observable decision processes.
