MIMO Spatial Multiplexing with an Array of Tilted Leaky-Wave Antennas for Terahertz Communications

This study explores the potential application of leaky-wave antennas (LWA) in Terahertz (THz) Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) systems to achieve spatial multiplexing and enhance data rates. The THz band's unique features, offering wide bandwidths and Tera-bit-per-second (Tbps) links, make it an attractive solution for meeting the ever-growing data traffic demands in 6G and Beyond wireless systems. However, the transition to the THz band poses some challenges, including high path loss due to small wavelengths. To address these challenges, this paper proposes employing LWAs that not only offer high directivity but also enable dynamic beam steering without complex feeding systems. Spatial multiplexing is achieved by tilting the elements of a LWA array, allowing to transmit independent data streams with minimal interference, thereby facilitating higher data rates. This approach overcomes previous bandwidth limitations of LWA arrays and proves effective even in highly dense scenarios.