Reactive near-field multiplexing and reliable diversity communication method

A previously unrecognized dimension for wireless communication channel multiplexing is presented and the associated new multiplexing technique is introduced. The electric and magnetic field components of an electromagnetic wave are utilized as separate channels in the near-field range of a transmitting array comprising a crossed pair of electric and magnetic dipoles. Unlike in traditional multiplexing approaches for MIMO communications, a multiplexing gain can be obtained in free space in the absence of scattering. The maximum channel capacity of a 2×2 system that utilizes the proposed multiplexing scheme is higher than twice the capacity of a single-channel system using the same total transmit power. When the electric-and magnetic-type antennas are used for a single data stream in a diversity method, the resulting communication system features a robust wireless link.