Wave propagation in tunnels in a MIMO context—a theoretical and experimental study

Abstract MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) techniques, based on multiple antennas at both the transmitting and receiving sites, use multipath propagation to transform the overall channel into numerous independent virtual channels. However, when the link is made in a long tunnel, the number of reflecting objects between, or near, the transmitter and the receiver is often quite low. In addition, due to the large transverse dimensions of the tunnel compared to the wavelength, the tunnel acts like a lossy oversized waveguide. In such situations, the concept of spatial diversity must be replaced by the concept of modal diversity. This article uses theoretical and experimental results to show the conditions in which MIMO techniques allow the ergodic capacity of the channel to be increased. To cite this article: M. Lienard et al., C. R. Physique 7 (2006).

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