Microwave-Induced Thermoacoustic Communications

Wireless communications from an airborne device to an underwater receiver is challenging because the conductivity of water severely dampens the magnitude of electromagnetic waves in the spectrum commonly used for wireless applications. In this paper, microwave-induced thermoacoustic communications (TAC), a hybrid technique for wireless communications, is investigated and experimentally demonstrated to provide a potential solution to this deficiency. TAC is based on the thermoacoustic effect and directly converts electromagnetic energy in air into acoustic energy in water. Experimental demonstration of TAC is reported by successful wireless information transmission from a microwave antenna in air to an acoustic transducer in water. Bench-top TAC experiments are combined with an analytical model to study the influences of pivotal design parameters on the performance of TAC. The experiments and theoretical analysis suggest that TAC might lead to a new paradigm of air-to-underwater wireless communications.

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