Spatially-Stationary Model for Holographic MIMO Small-Scale Fading

TL;DR

This paper introduces a mathematically tractable, physically consistent model for small-scale fading in holographic MIMO systems, enabling efficient simulation and analysis of their spatial properties.

Contribution

It proposes a novel Gaussian random field model consistent with the Helmholtz equation, providing an exact Fourier spectral representation for small-scale fading in holographic MIMO.

Findings

Exact Fourier plane-wave spectral representation derived

Efficient sampling method for small-scale fading developed

Connections to linear systems theory and Fourier analysis established

Abstract

Imagine an array with a massive (possibly uncountably infinite) number of antennas in a compact space. We refer to a system of this sort as Holographic MIMO. Given the impressive properties of Massive MIMO, one might expect a holographic array to realize extreme spatial resolution, incredible energy efficiency, and unprecedented spectral efficiency. At present, however, its fundamental limits have not been conclusively established. A major challenge for the analysis and understanding of such a paradigm shift is the lack of mathematically tractable and numerically reproducible channel models that retain some semblance to the physical reality. Detailed physical models are, in general, too complex for tractable analysis. This paper aims to take a closer look at this interdisciplinary challenge. Particularly, we consider the small-scale fading in the far-field, and we model it as a zero-mean, spatially-stationary, and correlated Gaussian scalar random field. Physically-meaningful correlation is obtained by requiring that the random field be consistent with the scalar Helmholtz equation. This formulation leads directly to a rather simple and exact description of the three-dimensional small-scale fading as a Fourier plane-wave spectral representation. Suitably discretized, this leads to a discrete representation for the field as a Fourier plane-wave series expansion, from which a computationally efficient way to generate samples of the small-scale fading over spatially-constrained compact spaces is developed. The connections with the conventional tools of linear systems theory and Fourier transform are thoroughly discussed.