Optimal Dual-Polarized Planar Arrays for Massive Capacity Over Point-to-Point MIMO Channels

Future wireless networks must provide ever higher data rates. The available bandwidth increases roughly linearly as we increase the carrier frequency, but the range shrinks drastically. This paper explores if we can instead reach massive capacities using spatial multiplexing over multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channels. In line-of-sight (LOS) scenarios, the rank of the MIMO channel matrix depends on the polarization and antenna arrangement. We optimize the rank and condition number by identifying the optimal antenna spacing in dual-polarized planar antenna arrays with imperfect isolation. The result is sparsely spaced antenna arrays that exploit radiative near-field properties. We further optimize the array geometry for minimum aperture length and aperture area, which leads to different configurations. Moreover, we prove analytically that for fixed-sized arrays, the MIMO rank grows quadratically with the carrier frequency in LOS scenarios, if the antennas are appropriately designed. Hence, MIMO technology contributes more to the capacity growth than the bandwidth. The numerical results show that massive data rates, far beyond 1 Tbps, can be reached both over fixed and mobile point-to-point links. It is also possible for a large base station to serve a practically-sized mobile device.