Electro-Optic Beamforming for Wireless-to-Optical Seamless Constellation-Mapping

This article shows that wireless reception angle governs constellation-mapping in seamless wireless-to-optical conversion. This lays the foundation for electro-optic beamforming, which is analogous but fundamentally distinct from conventional beamforming in RF receivers. The analytical conditions for controlling the directive-profile of seamless wireless-to-optical mapping are discussed in detail. The inadvertent nature of secondary maxima in electro-optic beamforming is highlighted. We also investigate the impact of direction-dependent effective wireless constellation-rotation on wireless-to-optical mapping. Further, we propose an electro-optic beamforming configuration that enables wireless-spatial to optical-wavelength division multiplexing. The core theoretical contributions presented in this paper shall pave the way for further investigation and practical realization of electro-optic beamforming in the future.