Spatial channel and system characterization

With the emergence of the multi-antenna systems, the spatial information becomes particularly significant to the modern communications systems. In this paper we present a new technique to describe and to characterize the channels and systems in space and in wave vector domains. First, we review briefly the wave vector concept, the wave vector spectrum and the 3-dimensional (3D) Fourier transform. Then a set of new impulses and new kernel functions is defined in order to establish a tool to characterize the communications channels and systems. The applications of each kernel function are also discussed. This new technique is a promising and a powerful tool to design and optimize the Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) communications systems. The results in this paper are limited to the plane wave scenario.