Spherical Wavefronts Improve MU-MIMO Spectral Efficiency When Using Electrically Large Arrays

Modern multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication systems are almost exclusively designed assuming locally plane wavefronts over antenna arrays. This is known as the
far-field approximation
and is soundly justified at sub-6-GHz frequencies at most relevant transmission ranges. However, when higher frequencies and shorter transmission ranges are used, the wave curvature over the array is no longer negligible, and arrays operate in the so-called
radiative near-field region
. This letter aims to show that the classical far-field approximation may significantly underestimate the achievable spectral efficiency of multi-user MIMO communications operating in the 30-GHz bands and above, even at ranges beyond the Fraunhofer distance. For planar arrays with typical sizes, we show that computing combining schemes based on the far-field model significantly reduces channel gain and spatial multiplexing capability. When the radiative near-field model is used, interference rejection schemes, such as the optimal minimum mean-square-error combiner, appear to be very promising, when combined with electrically large arrays, to meet the requirements of next-generation networks.