Near-field channel estimation via wavefront parameterization

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel near-field channel estimation method using wavefront parameterization, modeling curved wavefronts as polynomials to improve accuracy and complexity tradeoffs.

Contribution

It presents a new polynomial phase estimator capable of handling arbitrary dimensions and polynomial degrees for near-field multiantenna channel estimation.

Findings

The proposed estimator achieves better accuracy than existing methods.

It effectively manages complexity while maintaining high estimation precision.

The polynomial wavefront model improves near-field channel characterization.

Abstract

This paper deals with the estimation of multiantenna channels in the line-of-sight conditions that are prevalent in the near field. By expressing the curved wavefront as a polynomial via a power series expansion of a sphere, the estimation of the channel over the array can be formulated as a multidimensional polynomial phase estimation problem. The application of a newly developed polynomial phase estimator, able of handling arbitrary dimensions and polynomial degrees, yields a superior tradeoff between channel estimation accuracy and complexity.