T7: Orbital Angular Momentum for Wireless Communications: Theory, Challenges, and Progress
Presented by: Wenchi Cheng (Xidian University) and Wei Zhang (University of New South Wales)
Time: 9:00–12:30
Room: Honolulu
Abstract—It is now very difficult to use the traditional plane-electromagnetic (PE) wave based wireless communications to satisfy the ever-lasting capacity demand growing. Fortunately, the electromagnetic (EM) wave possesses not only linear momentum, but also angular momentum, which includes the orbital angular momentum (OAM). The orbital angular momentum (OAM), which is a kind of wave front with helical phase and has not been well studied yet, is another important property of EM wave. The OAM-based vortex wave has different topological charges, which are independent and orthogonal to each other, bridging a new way to significantly increase the capacity of wireless communications. This proposal will be discussing the fundamental theory of using orbital angular momentum (OAM) for wireless communications. This proposal would start with the background introduction on what is OAM based wireless communication and how OAM is important in current and future wireless communications. Then, the fundamental theory of OAM will be elaborated on in details, including OAM versus MIMO, OAM signal generation/reception, and OAM beam converging. Moreover, we would also like to share our latest research progress regarding how to apply OAM into wireless communications, including mode modulations, OAM mode convergence, mode hopping, OAM based MIMO, orthogonal mode division multiplexing, concentric UCAs based low-order OAM transmission, degree of freedom in mode domain as well as orthogonality of OAM mode. More important, the new results regarding how to solve the beam-hollow problem and support the misaligned UCA transceiver will also be studied. Finally, the applications of OAM based wireless communication are also discussed.
Tutorial Objectives
In the future wireless communications, the amount of traffic becomes larger and larger than ever. Thus, the existing crowded spectrum will face higher pressure than ever. Although OAM has the potential to increase the spectrum efficiency, we observe that OAM has not been received sufficient efforts when we study the new vortex wireless communication techniques. Towards this end, this tutorial will highlight the importance, modeling, and solutions of our latest research progress for OAM based radio vortex wireless communication.
Tutorial Outline
Part I: Background of OAM 1. What is OAM based wireless communication: back ground and motivation 2. Mode domain versus frequency/time domain Part II: Fundamental Theory of Using OAM for Wireless Communications 1. High Spectrum efficiency radio vortex wireless communication: multiple-mode OAM signal generation/adaptation/reception; 2. Non-hollow-OAM based wireless transmissions; 3. Long distance radio vortex wireless communications: OAM beam converging; 4. Mobility issues regarding radio vortex wireless communication; 5. OAM versus MIMO: degree of freedom, orthogonality, and capacity; 6. Anti-Jamming: Mode hopping; 7. Orthogonal mode division multiplexing; 8. Concentric UCAs based low-order OAM. Part III: Application of Using OAM for Wireless Communications 1. Practical OAM Based Wireless Communications With Non-Aligned Transceiver; 2. Mode-Division-Multiple-Access Based MAC Protocol for Radio-Vortex Wireless Networks; 3. OAM for ultra-dense wireless networks.
Primary Audience
As the wireless communications networks move from 5G to 5G-beyond or even 6G, it is very urgent to develop some fundamental technologies for next negation wireless networks. OAM based wireless communications, although facing critical challenges, can offer spectrum efficiency enhancement for LOS transmission, ultra-reliability with different modes, and anti-jamming with new dimensions. The VTC audiences, who concerns the wireless transmissions and wireless networks, can learn how to use OAM based wireless communication for future wireless communications.
Novelty
Although with promising capacity enhancement capability, it is very challenging to develop the OAM based wireless communications. The first problem is that regular OAM beams are centrally hollow and divergent, which means that ultra-low energy exists in the center of OAM beams. The second problem is that most existing schemes are designed for the transceiver-aligned scenario where different OAM-modes can be easily distinguished at the receiver. In this tutorial, not only previous focused problems, but also these practical-communications-driven problems will also be discussed.
Biography
Wenchi Cheng (M’14-SM’18) received the B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in telecommunication engineering from Xidian University, Xian, China, in 2008 and 2014, respectively, where he is an Associate Professor. He was a Visiting Scholar with Networking and Information Systems Laboratory, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA, from 2010 to 2011. His current research interests include 5G wireless networks and orbital-angular-momentum based wireless communications. He has published more than 70 international journal and conference papers in IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications, IEEE Magazines, IEEE INFOCOM, GLOBECOM, and ICC, etc. He received the Young Elite Scientist Award of CAST, the Best Paper Award for IEEE/CIC ICCC 2018, the Best Paper Nomination for IEEE GLOBECOM 2014, and the Outstanding Contribution Award for Xidian University. He has served or serving as the Associate Editor for IEEE Access, the IoT Session Chair for IEEE 5G Roadmap, the Wireless Communications Symposium Co-Chair for IEEE GLOBECOM 2020, the Publicity Chair for IEEE ICC 2019, the Next Generation Networks Symposium Chair for IEEE ICCC 2019, the Workshop Chair for IEEE ICC 2019 Workshop on Intelligent Wireless Emergency Communications Networks, the Workshop Chair for IEEE ICCC 2017 Workshop on Internet of Things.
Wei Zhang (S’01–M’06–SM’11–F’15) received the Ph.D. degree in electronic engineering from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, in 2005. In May 2008, he joined the School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia, where he is currently a full Professor. His current research interests include cognitive radio, energy harvesting communications, and massive multiple-input multiple-output. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS LETTERS from January 2016. He is an Editor of the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON COMMUNICATIONS and an Editor for the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON COGNITIVE COMMUNICATIONS AND NETWORKING. He is currently the Chair of the IEEE Communications Society Wireless Communications Technical Committee. He is the Vice-Director of the IEEE Communications Society Asia Pacific Board. He is also an Elected Member of IEEE Signal Processing Society SPCOM Technical Committee. He is a Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE Communications Society. He is a Fellow of the IET.