Continuous-Aperture Array Based OAM High-Capacity Communication For Metaverse

Abstract: The extensive data interaction demands of an immersive metaverse necessitate the adoption of emerging technologies to enable high-capacity communication. Vortex electromagnetic waves with different orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes are spatially orthogonal, providing a novel spatial multiplexing dimension to achieve high-capacity communication. However, the number of orthogonal OAM modes based on a discrete uniform circular array (UCA) is limited by the number of array elements in the UCA, and traditional discrete channel models are unable to accurately capture the physical properties of vortex electromagnetic wave propagation. The continuous-aperture array (CAPA) is composed of densely packed electromagnetic excitation elements, capable of flexibly and efficiently generating the desired surface currents to produce an arbitrary number of mutually orthogonal OAM modes. From the perspective of electromagnetic information theory (EIT), we propose a CAPA-based OAM orthogonal transmission scheme to realize high-capacity communication. We design the surface currents of the CAPA using Fourier basis functions, derive the electromagnetic channel for vortex electromagnetic waves, and investigate the upper bound of the spectrum efficiency for CAPA-based OAM orthogonal transmission. This paper establishes a theoretical foundation for applying EIT to the orthogonal transmission of vortex electromagnetic waves, offering a novel solution for achieving CAPA-based efficient and high-capacity communication.