Underwater radio communication using surface electromagnetic waves propagating along the seawater-air and seawater-sea floor interfaces may provide a promising alternative to commonly used acoustic communication underwater. Here we present a detailed analytical and numerical consideration of TE and TM polarized surface electromagnetic wave properties. The resulting surface waves have propagation constants that permit communication ranges far longer than those of bulk propagation in the lossy media. We demonstrate theoretically and experimentally their ability to carry broadband radio signals over practical communication distances underwater. A 50 MHz radio signal was successfully carried along the sandy seabed over 7 m distance.INDEX TERMS propagation length, seawater, surface electromagnetic wave, underwater radio communication
I. INTRODUCTIONWide band communication underwater is required in many applications, such as command and control of manned and unmanned underwater vehicles, networked underwater sensors, etc. However, the bandwidth of acoustic communication underwater is limited due to slow propagation speeds and multipath effects. Conventional radio frequency signals have severely limited communication range due to rapid attenuation in seawater [1-3], while directional optical links need sophisticated pointing, acquisition and tracking, and water turbidity strongly affects their performance. As a result, underwater wireless communication remains a critical problem that needs a viable solution.Very recently we have reported a design of a surface electromagnetic wave (SEW) radio antenna, which operates in the 2.4 GHz band and which efficiently launches surface electromagnetic waves along an interface between a conductor and a dielectric [4]. The antenna operation is based on strong field enhancement at the antenna tip, and it was demonstrated that this antenna may be used to send broadband radio communication signals through conductive enclosures, such as a commercial Faraday cage. A successful adaptation of this surface wave antenna design for underwater radio communication was reported in [5]. This antenna operated in the 50 MHz band and it was able to launch SEWs along the seawater-air interface. Since the propagation length of SEW along the interface considerably exceeds the skin depth of radio waves at the same frequency, the surface wave technique may be used for underwater broadband wireless communication over practical distances. A typical geometry of such SEW radio system consists of two conventional radios equipped with SEW antennas and positioned near a surface wave-carrying interface.Given the potential practical importance of SEW solutions of Maxwell equations at the seawater-air interface, and limited literature on SEW properties in this geometry, it is important to develop a detailed theoretical consideration of surface electromagnetic wave properties and demonstrate their ability to carry broadband radio signals over practical communication distances underwater. Compared to the previous stud...