Radiative Near-Field (Fresnel Zone)

Technical Explanation

In legacy wireless systems (4G/5G), users almost always operated in the far-field (Fraunhofer zone), where electromagnetic waves arrive as flat planar wavefronts. Because 6G utilizes massive physical antenna apertures and high frequencies (10-300 GHz), the Rayleigh distance (2D²/λ) expands to tens or hundreds of meters. In the radiative near-field, wavefronts are spherical, fundamentally transforming communication physics and requiring distance-aware 3D beamfocusing.

Key Functions

• Governs communications where distance is less than the Rayleigh distance (2D²/λ)
• Features spherical wavefront curvature allowing distance-based user separation
• Invalidates classical far-field planar wave assumptions in 6G system models
• Enables concurrent spatial multiplexing on identical azimuth and elevation angles