LAUSR

Abstract Arbitrary-order orbital angular momentum multiplexing (AOAMM) systems utilize OAM modes with both integer and fractional topological charges which are non-orthogonal. In this paper, the transmission matrix and the capacity per unit bandwidth, i.e., the spectral efficiency (SE) of an AOAMM system is derived based on the spatial cross correlations of the OAM submodes under different aperture conditions. The results show that in limited apertures, the SEs of AOAMM systems increase dramatically as the interval of two adjacent OAM submodes decreases by losing orthogonality. AOAMM systems are effective choices for satisfying the explosive growth of the communication requirements. This paper provides insight into the selection of spatially multiplexing approaches and the design of interference mitigation techniques for AOAMM systems with increased SEs.