  Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) provide an interface between the
electromagnetic world of the wireless propagation environment and the digital
world of information science. Simple yet sufficiently accurate path loss models
for RISs are an important basis for theoretical analysis and optimization of
RIS-assisted wireless communication systems. In this paper, we refine our
previously proposed free-space path loss model for RISs to make it simpler,
more applicable, and easier to use. In the proposed path loss model, the impact
of the radiation patterns of the antennas and unit cells of the RIS is
formulated in terms of an angle-dependent loss factor. The refined model gives
more accurate estimates of the path loss of RISs comprised of unit cells with a
deep sub-wavelength size. The free-space path loss model of the sub-channel
provided by a single unit cell is also explicitly provided. In addition, two
fabricated RISs, which are designed to operate in the millimeter-wave (mmWave)
band, are utilized to carry out a measurement campaign in order to characterize
and validate the proposed path loss model for RIS-assisted wireless
communications. The measurement results corroborate the proposed analytical
model. The proposed refined path loss model for RISs reveals that the
reflecting capability of a single unit cell is proportional to its physical
aperture and to an angle-dependent factor. In particular, the far-field
beamforming gain provided by an RIS is mainly determined by the total area of
the surface and by the angles of incidence and reflection.
