Time reversal telecommunications in complex environments

Abstract The time reversal technique is well known in acoustics and has lead to remarkable applications in ultrasound and underwater acoustics. Here we propose to apply it to MIMO (Multiple Input – Multiple Output) UWB (Ultra Wide Band) communication: in a first ‘training’ step, the intended user transmits an electromagnetic pulse that propagates in a medium, where it undergoes multiple reflections. The resulting signals are recorded at the base station by one or more antennas, time reversed and used to precode the transmitted symbols. The resulting sequences are sent back by the antennas. The time-reversed wave retraces its former paths and leads to a focus of the message in space and time at the receiver. The equalization step is thus simplified since TR compensates for the reverberation caused by the channel. Furthermore, TR takes advantage of the multipaths to increase the signal strength at the receiver and to improve spatial focusing. To cite this article: A. Tourin et al., C. R. Physique 7 (2006).