High-Capacity and Real-Time Acoustic Communication by Multiplexing Velocity

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel method for acoustic communication that exploits the vector velocity of acoustic waves as multiple independent channels, significantly increasing data capacity for underwater and deep ocean applications.

Contribution

The study demonstrates both theoretically and experimentally that acoustic wave velocity can serve as a polarization-like degree of freedom for multiplexing, enabling high-capacity real-time data transmission with a single sensor.

Findings

Vector velocity acts as multiple independent communication channels.

Achieved reliable high-capacity real-time transmission.

Multiplexing velocity enhances acoustic communication capacity.

Abstract

Acoustic communication is indispensable for underwater networks, deep ocean exploration, and biological monitoring, environments where electromagnetic waves become impractical. However, unlike the latter, whose vector polarization naturally supports multiple information channels, acoustic waves are longitudinal and have traditionally relied almost exclusively on a single scalar pressure channel, posing a fundamental limit on their data-carrying capacity. Here, we theoretically and experimentally demonstrate that the vector velocity of acoustic waves can serve as a polarization-like physical degree of freedom. Using its three components as mutually independent communication channels and demodulating them with a single vector sensor, we achieve reliable, high-capacity, and real-time information transmission. Multiplexing velocity adds a new dimension to acoustic communication. When combined with other physical degrees of freedom (frequency, phase, etc.), this approach can significantly enhance the information capacity, opening new avenues for next-generation acoustic technology.