Communication through a Diffusive Medium: Coherence and Capacity

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 287; no. 5451; pp. 287 - 290
• Main Authors: Moustakas, Aris L., Baranger, Harold U., Balents, Leon, Sengupta, Anirvan M., Simon, Steven H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for the Advancement of Science 14.01.2000; American Association for the Advancement of Science; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Antenna arrays; Antennas; Applied classical electromagnetism; Applied sciences; Communication; Electromagnetic wave propagation, radiowave propagation; Electromagnetism; Electromagnetism; electron and ion optics; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Information Theory; Information Transfer; Light; Material concentration; Physical Environment; Physics; Radiocommunications; Scalars; Signal noise; Signals; Telecommunications; Telecommunications and information theory; Transfer Rates (College); Transmitters; Transmitters. Receivers; Wave propagation; Wireless communications; Coherent signal; Disordered systems; Electromagnetism; Wave interference; Wireless telecommunication; Wave scattering; Modelling; Antennas; Information theory
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.287.5451.287

Coherent wave propagation in disordered media gives rise to many fascinating phenomena as diverse as universal conductance fluctuations in mesoscopic metals and speckle patterns in light scattering. Here, the theory of electromagnetic wave propagation in diffusive media is combined with information theory to show how interference affects the information transmission rate between antenna arrays. Nontrivial dependencies of the information capacity on the nature of the antenna arrays are found, such as the dimensionality of the arrays and their direction with respect to the local scattering medium. This approach provides a physical picture for understanding the importance of scattering in the transfer of information through wireless communications.